Fruit Ninja: The Legend Of Kazeko Sakurano
by TheCherryBlossomKunoichi
Summary: Meet Kazeko Sakurano, a lonely girl and the last of her clan. She holds a secret... a curse. One that could put people in danger if revealed. However, only one fruit ninja apprentice is willing to meet her and protect her and her secret from being discovered. Can Kazeko trust him? Or will all hell break loose?
1. Strange Things

Welcome, readers and writers, to my newest fanfiction! Just to let you know, this fanfiction takes place in the world of Fruit Ninja, and here some of the new characters will appear along with the protagonist, my new OC. I hope you guys enjoy, and please no bad reviews! It's my very first Fruit Ninja fanfiction. I hope you enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 1: Strange Things<p>

In a distant land which name was unknown, lived only one clan of ninjas ruled by their emperor and empress. It was known as the Sakurano clan, or _"The clan of the cherry blossoms"_, and this was the surname of the ruling couple and daughter.

For decades, the Sakurano clan has always searched for peace and harmony. They once fought against other distant clans, but ended finding peace and prosperity. The other clans joined forces and became allies with the Sakurano clan, until the day they all perished.

Today was a lot different than their old glory days. There was chaos everywhere. The skies were no longer colorful. The clouds covered the sun and the clan once more fell on the depths of tragedy.

The entire clan fled away from the wild flames that spread wild around their homeland. There was an attack caused by an army of samurai, and the people tried to run for safety. They failed, as their enemies took them as their prisoners. The samurai were searching for the cursed one, but because the clan refused to demand answers, all hell broke loose.

A little girl screamed, calling for her mother. Her mother, the empress, was being taken, and she struggled to break free.

_"Kazeko, run!"_

Two samurai men came in to get the little girl. She was scared of their next move, and dropped a single tear.

_"Honey, run now! We'll be alright!"_

_"But I can't leave you!"_

_"Kazeko, you're the last of our clan! You're the only one who can make it to safety! You have to go!"_

With a huge amount of sadness in her face, the girl ran off as fast as she could without looking back.

Her homeland behind her was now alit with flames. No citizens were left behind. They were all kidnapped, and their homes were entirely destroyed.

Before entering a forest, the little girl saw her destroyed homeland with tears in her eyes.

_"お母さん! お父さん!" (Okāsan! (Mom!) Otōsan! (Dad!)) _

She cried for her kidnapped parents and ran off, panting and whimpering on her way to safety. Losing a whole clan and her parents being imprisoned was too much to bear. And she always thought it was her fault because of her curse.

...

**_"How would you feel if your entire homeland was gone? How would you feel if you suddenly lose everything you know and everyone you love the most? How would you feel if you suddenly fall upon a curse? One that cannot be undone. One that nobody should know about. One that could eternally change your life. Would you hide away from people, or would you just tell it to someone you can trust? And most importantly... can that person keep that secret safe? __Here's how my story began after I escaped from my homeland."_**

_10 YEARS LATER..._

_Location: Fruitasia_

In the woods of this colorful land, a teenage girl ran. She was 14 years old, she had beautiful, short pink hair and eyes, and wore a pink and black kunoichi suit. She had learned Ninjutsu in her past life, so now she was practicing her skills. This girl was Kazeko Sakurano, the last kunoichi and heiress of the Sakurano clan.

**_"Kon'ichiwa! My name is Sakurano Kazeko. I'm 14 years old, and I'm a kunoichi... or should I say, the last kunoichi and heiress of my long lost Sakurano clan. It's been 10 years since I ran away._**

**_I love cherry blossom flowers, hence my surname, which means "of the cherry blossoms". Next to that I like to sleep in forests and practicing my kunoichi skills. It's been so long since I first practiced. And in these lands I doubt I can find someone who can teach me."_**

She saw a watermelon flying towards her. Rapidly, she unsheathed her sword and sliced it in two before it could hit her. She stopped for a second to inspect the watermelon.

"Fruit? Why did I just sliced this?"

She kneeled down and saw the watermelon closely before the sound of leaves rustling caught her hearing senses. She somehow thought something was going on, so she looked at her surroundings, but her eyes saw nothing.

"Huh? That's weird. Nothing."

**_"Fruit? Out of nowhere? That makes no sense at all."_**

She sheathed her sword back in its cover and ran off.

But little did she knew that a certain fruit ninja apprentice was watching her. He smiled when Kazeko sliced the watermelon, a big fruit which is difficult to slice for a beginner like her. He was impressed that such a girl could do that.

He jumped down from a tree branch to see the sliced watermelon closely, then looked at the direction Kazeko went to.

He wanted to see more from Kazeko, and decided to follow her.

"This will be interesting." He said with a smile.

...

During that day, Kazeko had been training hard. She practiced hands-only combat and sword combat for several hours. All that training got her thirsty.

She sought for fresh red apples to make some juice. But realized what happened before. She thought the fruit might just come right at her, and she didn't had to take some from the trees. She kept looking for the fruits whatsoever.

To her surprise, five red apples flew at her. She immediately drew out her sword and sliced them one by one in a fast motion.

She let out a sigh, sheathing her sword back in its cover. "Again with the fruit. What the heck is going on?" She asked to herself, already annoyed.

She didn't knew that the same guy who followed her threw the apples, and silently laughed when she said that. She sounded funny to him.

He took a peep from behind a tree and watched as Kazeko sat on some spot and squeezed the sliced apples, drinking some of their juice. She seemed too interesting to him for some reason.

After drinking a few juice drops from the last sliced apple, Kazeko got up and walked away.

The guy left his hiding spot and sneaked behind her, but stopped when she threw the sliced apple behind her back. Kazeko sensed something wrong.

Once again, she unsheathed her sword and let out a battle cry. And yet... she saw nothing.

"Okay, I'm definitely going crazy. And I hate when this happens."

She covered the blade and walked off, muttering some Japanese words to herself.

The ninja apprentice hid behind another tree. He wiped out an imaginary sweat. He was right under her nose before she turned around. He was too fast that Kazeko couldn't see him.

_That night..._

Kazeko tiredly walked to look for a nice spot to sleep. Already she was exhausted for all the running and training she had this day. Indeed she was a little scared of the dark, but she knew how to handle her fears, as she sought to become a brave kunoichi.

She saw a comfortable spot and laid down her sword, though she unsheathed it in case somebody attacked.

"Let's hope I find a nice place to stay in the morning." She said to herself and yawned, already lying down to sleep.

She never knew that, as she slept peacefully, the apprentice was watching her in the distance. He couldn't resist a smile. Kazeko was too amazing in what she does. He knew she could be part of a group of students who are interested to know the sacred arts of the fruit ninja.

All he had to do was to meet her and speak up.

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><p><em>"Kazeko, run!"<em>

I woke up with a gasp and sat up. I've been having the same dream for years, and it was horrible. It reminded me so much of that day I lost my clan and my parents to the samurai men.

I shook that off and looked around. It was another beautiful day. I yawned, moaned and stretched out as the sunlight gently touched my skin, giving me some energy to wake up.

It's been ten years since I escaped from my clan, and I still had nowhere to stay. I didn't knew anything or anyone, there was just me and the pure silence.

I never saw anyone in the woods the day before, just a watermelon and five red apples, which I sliced with no problem. I mean, when I was very little my parents taught me how to use a sword, but that was a long time ago. I still knew how to handle that, but even with that I had to depend on someone who could teach me more about Ninjutsu.

I still thought it was no use since there was nobody around the woods. I needed help. I had to hide and train because I knew that sometime my enemies could come and take me as their prisoner... mostly because I had a curse nobody should know about.

Just as I stood deep in my thoughts, I failed to hear more leaves rustling. When I fully realized something was happening, I looked behind my shoulder in a quick motion. Again, I saw nothing.

The feeling gave me the cold shoulder. Someone must've been playing around, or maybe spying on me. I took my sword and prepared to fight. Louder was the sound of the leaves, until I felt jitters creeping me. I sensed the presence of a person right behind me.

I quickly turned around, letting out a battle cry, and saw a guy. I dropped my stance. He kind of looked like a ninja because he had a cool sword and awesome attire, but his eyes scared me. I didn't knew why, but his presence creeped my nerves off. It was so much that I was forced to drop my sword to the ground.

The guy's smile faded, and stared at me with a baffled look, kind of trying to figure out what was wrong with me. I never spoke a word, just took some steps back with fear. The guy took a step towards me. My heart raced. All I wished to do at that moment was to run, but I stood immobile, staring at his eyes nervously. I couldn't help but blush.

I suddenly heard a female voice in my mind that sounded similar to that of my mother's.

_"Kazeko, run!"_

Without a moment's thought, I quickly turned heels and ran away from the guy, jumping from tree to tree.

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><p>Kazeko was very frightened. He could sense it when he looked at her in the eyes. But he couldn't figure out why. The way she fled was like he could be very formidable, but he wasn't that kind of guy. He was a nice guy, he never intended to scare her.<p>

He shook his head and walked, but stepped a foot on Kazeko's sword. He eyed it carefully, admiring its details, like the soft pink color the blade had.

He took the sword and sought to give it back, hopefully Kazeko wouldn't run away again when he sees her.

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><p>Who was he? Why was he following me? What was up with him that he had to see me that close? I asked those questions to myself as I ran. But I already felt so exhausted because I spent a lot of time running away. And I also felt a burning sensation in my right arm.<p>

I felt my legs lighter as I ran. I felt like my body was running out of control. I was running faster and faster until I got a flashback of my past life.

_"Kazeko, run!"_

I could've sworn I saw my mother's face in my mind.

I felt my body going numb and fell on my body. Then I blacked out.

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><p><strong>Author's note:<strong>

And there you had it! My very first chapter!

So, Kazeko met a fruit ninja apprentice. That's totally unexpected! Can you guys guess who it is? You can leave your answers in your reviews!

I'll give you a small hint... it's one of the new characters... and it's a guy. If you played the latest version of Fruit Ninja then you'll know what I'm talking about. ;)

I hope you liked this chapter, my OC, her backstory, and everything else. Remember, bad reviews are not allowed. This is my very first Fruit Ninja story, so please go easy on me. I'm sure I have to learn more in the future like I did with the rest of my fanfics.

TheCherryBlossomKunoichi is out!

See you guys in the next chapter!


	2. Enter Katsuro & Mari

Chapter 2: Enter Katsuro & Mari

On a high mountain was a dojo, in which a group of fruit ninjas trained day by day.

Arriving at the dojo was a boy who wore a yellow and brown ninja suit. He had an orange belt on his waist, an orange scarf and an orange headband. He also had brown armbands and fingerless gloves. He had lifted green hair and vivid orange eyes.

He had carried Kazeko all the way to the dojo during a wind storm that could be almost compared with a hurricane. Before that happened, he found her lying unconscious in the woods and decided to help. When he made it to the dojo, the storm calmed down and everything became normal once again.

The boy knocked at the doors of the dojo. They immediately opened up, and someone came out to meet him.

"Welcome back, Katsuro." Greeted a girl with a red and green kunoichi suit. She had dark red hair and bright green eyes. "How's your day been?"

"A little strange. Mari, I've got to talk to Sensei."

The girl, Mari, had a worried look. "Is something wrong?"

"I found a girl in the woods, and she needs help."

"I see. So, what happened?"

...

Kazeko, who was nicely lying on her side under a cherry blossom tree, was already waking up from her sleep. What she first noticed was the warmth and light of the sun, and she then took in the smell of cherry blossom flowers. This got her mind so foggy with memories of her past.

She rolled over, letting out some moans.

"Sakurano clan... _なぜ_?" (_Naze_? (Why?))

On that instant, she let out a small gasp and sat up. In front of her was her sword.

"My blade. Who brought it back?" She said, picking it with both hands. She sheathed it back in its cover and looked around.

She took in the smell of the cherry blossom tree once more. The tree reminded her so much of her clan.

"Where am I?"

She slowly stood up, stretching her body. Her eyes immediately saw the dojo in the near distance.

Kazeko's eyes flew wide, and, for the first time in 10 years, a smile appeared in her face.

"A dojo! That is so the perfect place to stay!"

Her attention soon turned to the two ninjas, who were still talking about what happened previously.

"So you found the girl during a wind storm?" Asked Mari. "That's strange. I've never heard about such thing before. But thank goodness both of you made it here safely."

Kazeko gasped when she recognized one of the ninjas. "Oh no, that's the guy I saw back in the woods! I can't be here!"

She immediately hid behind the tree. She thought of some places she could hide in, like the woods, but that would be far, and she would be tired. But then she remembered something from her clan. The Sakurano ninjas used to camouflage themselves using the cherry blossom trees. Kazeko looked down at herself and smirked.

"Those guys will never find me."

The young kunoichi climbed up the cherry blossom tree and camouflaged herself with the flowers.

...

Inside the dojo, the young apprentices stood beside each other.

"What brings you here, apprentices?" Asked Sensei, who stood in front of the ninjas.

"Katsuro says he found a girl during a storm and brought her here for help." Explained Mari.

"We've never seen her before." Said Katsuro. "She's still unconscious, so we don't know who she is or where she came from just yet. I've seen her in the woods, and she has great skill."

There was a little silence then. Sensei seemed intrigued to know who Kazeko was.

"I wish to meet this girl. Bring her here when she wakes, Katsuro."

"_Hai_, Sensei."

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><p>I wasn't going to let the punk-haired ninja find me once more. Too much was my impression when I saw him. His eyes... his vivid orange eyes scared me. But even though I was afraid of him, I thought he was kind of <em>kawaii<em>.

But no, I wasn't going to let him find me. I didn't wanted to get nervous again and form another catastrophic storm. Oh! I forgot to say I had a freaking curse! And that is the super power of wind. That's why the sky turned dark before I passed out. My power was running out of control because I felt scared. Fear was my one weakness.

I looked down at my right arm and noticed a small tattoo was formed. It was a triple swirly symbol, resembling wind. That was the reason I felt some heat in my arm. After 10 years I was able to use my powers, but I still couldn't control them.

The reason I had no friends was because I didn't knew anybody or trusted anybody. I couldn't trust anyone with my secret either. My parents taught me not to talk to strangers and to beware the ones I meet. That's why I ran away from the punk-haired ninja boy. I wasn't sure about talking to him because of my curse.

I stood deep in my thoughts before I noticed I had some sort of grappling hook wrapped around my right arm. My eyes grew big.

"Uh oh..."

Then I felt a force that pulled me to the ground and hit it hard.

"Well, there's your girl." Said a girl with a red and green kunoichi suit. She immedtately left. Now only the punk-haired ninja boy and I were there.

"_痛い_... (_Itai_ (Ouch) That... hurt."

I helped myself up. But just as I looked up I saw the guy right in front of me. I had to scream, but later covered my mouth.

"You again? Why? You've been always following me, haven't you?"

"Well, yeah. I've been watching you back in the woods. For an average girl, your skills are great. I'm sure Sensei would like to see you in action."

_"Sensei?"_ I thought. "Wait a second, you were the guy who threw the watermelon and the apples at me. Exactly what were you expecting?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

The boy laughed. "To see how good you're at slicing fruit."

"Oh, so that makes me a good kunoichi, doesn't it?"

He nodded before holding out his hand to help me up. I felt a little nervous at first, but then accepted his hand and was helped up to my feet.

"It's very nice to meet you. Name's Katsuro. And you are?"

_**"That cute ninja with green hair and orange eyes is Katsuro-san. I don't know why but he's the cutest guy I've ever seen!"**_

I looked at him with big eyes. _"He just told me his name! Can I do this? My parents warned me not to talk to anyone!"_

It was a hard decision. This guy, Katsuro, had been watching me back in the woods, and now he just introduced himself to me. It was obvious that he wanted to meet me in person. So I just breathed out and introduced myself.

"Sakurano... uh... Kazeko." I replied, with a huge blush filling my cheeks. But even with that I stood firm, with my arms behind my back. "Sakurano Kazeko. That's my name! It's very nice to meet you, Katsuro-san."

We made a small handshake after saying our names. I saw Katsuro had a sweet smile, kind of trying to say that he was friendly. Even my heart could tell that as it started racing and jumping up and down in my chest.

"Come. Sensei wishes to meet you."

I stood there as he walked to the entrance of the dojo. I couldn't believe it. After 10 years of running here and there I finally found a place to hide, and I also met a guy... a cute one at that. I felt my cheeks burning red.

_"Katsuro... I will remember your name."_

He beckoned on me to follow him. At first I felt a little jittery because I was about to join a group of ninjas, but later on I let it all go and walked to the entrance of the dojo.

_"I promise, Mom and Dad, that I'll be safe here. Nobody will know anything about my clan or my curse. Nobody."_

The doors closed behind me then.

...

I saw the dojo with my very own eyes. There was pieces of fruit scattered here and there. I thought maybe this group of ninjas was training before I came in to join them.

"So, is this what you guys do in here every day?" I asked as I walked behind Katsuro.

"We're interested in learning the sacred arts of the fruit ninja. Sensei teaches us how to become better fruit ninjas."

"Interesting. You know, my clan never did this kind of things before. It's the first time I see something like this."

"Clan?"

That caught my attention. I should've never mentioned my clan in front of Katsuro. Now I was stuck at words.

Fortunately, I heard footsteps approaching, and two people came straight to us.

"Oh, there she is! Sensei, this is the girl we told you about."

I quickly stood firm when I first saw their master, with my arms behind my back and a serious face. I slightly bowed with respect like I always did in my homeland whenever my parents met the other clans' emperors.

_**"Of course every learner has a teacher. So now I met Sensei, the fruit ninja master."**_

"What is your name, child?"

"Sakurano Kazeko." I responded.

"I've heard nobody has ever seen you before, Kazeko."

"I'm not from here. I, well..." I looked away and scratched my hair a little. "I've been running away my entire life... and I have no place to stay."

I could see a sad look from the two ninja apprentices. I looked over at Katsuro with a sad look as well. He replaced his sad look with one confident smile, kind of telling me that everything would be alright. That made my heart race. He was just too cute!

"Very well..." Continued Sensei, breaking out the silence between us. "...my promising student, Katsuro, has seen your abilities as a fruit kunoichi. And for that he will help you get started."

"_Hai_, Sensei." Responded Katsuro with no sign of complaints.

I could've sworn my heart wanted to explode out of my chest. I had the biggest eyes ever and I felt a whole rain of nerves swelling over me.

_"WHAAAAAT?!"_ I thought. "_Sumimasen_... Is this for real? I-I mean... I just met him and... I never thought I'd be joining this group and..."

Katsuro stared at me once more with a smile, giving me more jitters. Another blush filled my face. I had to cover my cheeks so he wouldn't notice, and looked away.

"Um... uh..."

"There is much you need to learn. Your first training begins tomorrow."

"H-_Hai_, Sensei." I responded with a shivering voice.

I bowed before Sensei before running out of the dojo. I had to ignore the weird looks of the two apprentices as I left the dojo. Once I was in the clear, I let out what I felt in there.

"The punk-haired ninja's going to teach me!"

I felt a dizziness coming, and passed out on the ground.

_That evening..._

"Psst! Kazeko-san. Hey, Kazeko-san! Wake up!"

I heard a whispering voice waking me up and moaned a little. "Mom? I had such a strange dream. There was a dojo full of fruits, ninjas, more fruits, and..."

I let out a gasp. Standing next to me were Katsuro and the redhead which I never knew her name.

"Hi there." She said nicely, waving a hand.

"You've got to be kidding me!" I exclaimed, a little scared.

"Easy. You seemed pretty shocked before you passed out. But don't worry. It's all right now."

"I passed out?" I asked. "Sorry, I can't remember what happened."

"We found you outside. And I'm guessing it's your first time doing this, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it sure is." I replied, letting out a breath.

"I see. My name's Mari, by the way. And my apologies about earlier."

_**"The girl in red is Mari-san, and is, so far, the very first fruit kunoichi I've seen. Well... then comes myself because I joined this group of fruit ninjas. So now we're two."**_

"It's no problem." I replied with a smile. "So... what now? Is it training time?"

"Not just yet, but I can give you some tips to help you get started." Said Katsuro. "Come on, I'll show you something awesome."

With no words of how excited and jittery I was, I got up from the bed and followed Katsuro.

I wondered what was he going to show me, and what questions he'd ask about me.

I was afraid of what could come next.


	3. Ninja Training, Blades And Strawberries

Chapter 3: Ninja Training, Blades And Strawberries

I admired every detail of the dojo whilst following Katsuro. I remembered him saying that he would show me something awesome, but I thought I was already seeing the most incredible thing in existence, the dojo itself.

Both he and Mari led me to Sensei, who helped me prepare my abilities with a sword using a wooden replica. I knew how to handle a sword, but he taught me some moves I've never learned.

Other than that he taught me some things about Ninjutsu. I learned bit by bit. It was hard, but very worth it.

One of the things I loved about training was meditation. And I loved it even more because I was now training in the woods of Fruitasia, where it was soothing, calm and relaxing, the perfect elements for meditation.

On that certain moment Katsuro joined, but immediately left while I just stood there meditating. I wasn't afraid of being alone. In fact I loved it when everything was so silent.

I took in and out some slow breathings before I heard the sound of a crunchy leaf. That alerted me a little.

I slowly unsheathed my sacred sword, hoping to be silent enough. I heard no more noises around me, which seemed so strange. I knew ninjas were silent, but this was all new to me, not like back in the old days when the Sakurano ninjas trained.

A gust of wind rushed behind me. I knew someone was around, so I gripped my sword tightly and waited. Seconds later, the noise comes, but louder.

"Hyah!"

The second I turned around to see, there was nothing there. I felt like a fool and looked around the spot. Nothing. I shrugged it off, dropped my sword and went back to meditate.

But even with that I still thought something was out of place. I stopped meditating and left that spot with my sword back in its cover.

I stood behind each tree, carefully listening as I went through the place. On a certain moment I heard another crunchy leaf close by. I peeked a little to see but then again I saw nothing.

"I think it's time to take bigger measures."

I drew out my sword, but then a grappling hook yanked it away from my hands. I nearly screamed at that.

"Okay?" I said with a hint of fear in my voice.

Out of nowhere appeared Mari hanging upside down. Her sudden appearance scared me that I fell to my butt.

She laughed at my reaction and landed to the ground.

I crossed my arms at her. What she did wasn't truly funny.

We soon heard more noises from the plants in the distance.

"Uh, what was that?"

Mari just shushed me up nicely.

Minutes seemed to pass as we tried to listen. The entire place was quiet until we heard some rustling.

"Follow me." She whispered and returned me my sword.

I made a quick nod and followed her. There was another mysterious ninja somewhere. Maybe this was something, like, some art of stealth or something. And it was interesting because this was one of the arts a ninja should master in order to become unnoticed by the enemy.

However, we, the Sakurano, had a different technique. We always used trees to our advantage. So I silently jumped from one tree to another while Mari just kept going down on the ground, kind of camouflaging herself with the plants.

I kept my eyes open. The hidden ninja was very clever because we couldn't find whoever it was. But just as I kept looking, I noticed a watermelon with a face standing somewhere.

"There!"

Mari immediately charged at the watermelon and gave it a strong kick, throwing it off to the ground. I admired her skill and power. I could slice a watermelon in half, but I could never kick a watermelon like Mari did. Watermelons sure are tough.

She analyzed the watermelon for a while, and I stood in my position, looking for the mysterious ninja through the trees. I couldn't believe I still couldn't find anyone else. But my attention was called when I felt something hitting the back of my head all of a sudden.

I looked behind my shoulder, only to see a pineapple, a pear and two apples flying at me. I quickly positioned myself and sliced the fruits. But then I started losing balance and dropped my sword.

"Whoa... Aah!"

And off I fell from the high tree.

Surprisingly, someone saved me from hitting the ground. It turned out that the mysterious ninja, AKA, Katsuro, came at the right time to save me. I couldn't help but blush when I saw him smiling at me.

He nicely helped me up. I had a ginormous blush in my face. I thought of something that could distract me from staring at his vivid orange eyes.

I looked up to a high tree behind him and saw a green apple hanging on a branch. I smiled and rushed to get the green apple, climbing up that tree. I carefully made it up to the thick branch of the tree where I could get the apple, and grabbed it once I got closer. Then I jumped down that tree.

"Oh, wait!"

I threw the single apple in the air and sliced it in half. The pieces fell on the tip of my sword without me having to move a foot to catch them.

"_Itadakimasu_." I said to them with a sheepish smile.

Katsuro and Mari gave me impressed looks as I offered them the apple pieces. They both accepted them and ate a bit.

"What about you?" Mari suddenly asked.

"It's okay. I'm not a fruit lover that much. I just like fruit juice."

After talking a bit, the three of us made it out of there.

_Later that day, at the Fruit Ninja dojo..._

I was finally going to see what Katsuro told me. And that was a whole set of different ninja swords. I stood right behind him as he eyed the blades.

**_"Of course, how can a fruit ninja cut fruits without a sword? A fruit ninja can use any blade he chooses best."_**

"_Sugoi_!" I said with astonished eyes. "Ninja swords are amazing! Dangerous, but amazing!"

"How's your blade like?"

I stared at him with a baffled look. "Wait, what?"

Katsuro stood in front of me, holding out his hands. "Your blade, let me take a look."

I carefully unsheathed my sword and slowly handed it to him. I noticed he constantly eyed my blade's details, like the soft pink color it had.

"Katsuro-san, is something wrong with my sword?"

"Actually, it's interesting. This one almost reminds me of our Sakura Slicer."

My eyes brightened. "You have a Sakura Slicer?"

"Yeah. Anyways, what kind of blade is this?" Katsuro continued. "By the looks of it, this blade looks like it could slice anything."

He performed some moves with it, kind of testing it a bit.

"That's the Sakurano Blade. I... uh... named it after my surname."

That was not true. I lied so Katsuro wouldn't know it's true origin. It was the legendary sword of my clan. When the four clans rejoiced after deciding they all wanted peace, the three ruling emperors created the Sakurano Blade and gave it to my parents as a gift. On my first birthday, after my father defeated the outsider army of samurai, he gifted me with the Sakurano Blade. I could still remember what he told me when I was 3 years old, one year before the tragic days came up.

_"The other clans created this majestic sword as a gift for our act of kindheartedness. It's a very special sword. The power of the Sakurano Clan lies inside, and only the Sakurano can become one with it."_

_**"Legend says that if mastered, the Sakurano Blade can unleash power, allowing its user, me, to use it against anything... in this case, fruits."**_

"Impressive. I've never seen a blade like this. I'd like to give it a try. What do you think, Kazeko? Uh... Kazeko?"

I shook my head a little. I was so into my thoughts that I almost forgot I was with Katsuro. I forgot about the whole sword thing, and I literally left him talking to himself about how good my sword seemed to be.

"Oh, I'm fine. My apologies, Katsuro-san. I stood deep in my thoughts."

"It's alright. I was thinking we should show this blade to Sensei."

"Um... is that necessary?"

"He's doing research on some of the blades we got, and this sword might be one of a kind."

"No, I don't think so. I mean, my folks taught me how to craft a sword. I made it myself, so it's not like it has some sort of mystical power or anything."

I laughed nervously after that. I promised nobody should know anything about me or my clan. And the sword is the last thing I got from my parents. I wasn't going to let anyone discover important information about the blade's power, not even Sensei.

"We'll take nice care of it, Kazeko. Trust me."

And he said it. I had to think it through. Like I said, I wasn't going to let them discover the secrets of my clan or my curse. I had some doubt floating above my head. I mean, Katsuro had his good intentions, but was he really trustworthy?

I asked him that one question...

"How do I know I can trust you, Katsuro-san?"

"Believe me, kid. It'll be in great hands. And besides you'll start up with the Original Blade."

"Oh, a sword for beginners. That's great."

He held out his hands so I could hand my sword over to him. I sheathed the sword in its cover and carefully gave it to him.

"Alright. Here's my one and only sword. Take good care of it."

"Great. Now, I want to see what else you can do."

He handed me the original ninja sword. I looked at him confused.

"You want me to slice _more_ fruit?"

"It's part of your first training, Kazeko. Now, let's see what you got."

I stared at the sword in my hands and then back at Katsuro. Was I even ready for that? I guess I was.

"Uh... okay."

_Later..._

I stood in position, with the sword in hand and my heart thumping against my chest. I was very anxious to begin. I felt excessively excited.

"Before you begin, you must know one important tip about fruit ninjas... always avoid hitting bombs."

My eyes almost popped out when he said that. "You guys got bombs?!"

My question wasn't answered. There was a little silence before a mango fruit suddenly came up. I gripped my sword tightly and swung it at the mango, slicing it in half.

_"Not bad for a start."_ I thought.

Three more fruits came up. I focused well and sliced them just how I sliced the other fruits back then. I was doing well at first, but it seemed that Katsuro wanted me to pick up some speed. Just as I sliced through the fruits, more and more came up very quickly along with a bomb. Now I understood why they had bombs. My first tip about being a fruit kunoichi was to never hit the bombs, otherwise it was game over.

I was doing well, but later on things became harder and harder. More was the amount of fruits and bombs that I failed to notice I hit one.

"Kazeko, hide!"

I didn't knew what to do. The bomb was about to explode. I panicked so much that I didn't moved from the spot.

Before I even knew it, Katsuro carried me bridal-style and jumped us out of the way before the bomb exploded, causing a tremendous disaster everywhere. A hundred fruits flew up like erupting lava.

Both me and Katsuro got out of a small pile of fruit that fell over us. We coughed out a little for all the smoke the bomb left.

"Katsuro-san, I'm sorry. Are you alright?"

Instead of hearing groans and complaints, I heard him laughing like nothing bad happened. We were both okay, well... except for the fact that I hit my right arm with a watermelon and cut my skin just a bit.

"I'm good. And don't worry, this can happen sometimes. How about you?"

I didn't answered. I felt a strong throb in the exact spot the symbol of my curse was. I guess I hit the watermelon real hard.

"Kazeko, are you hurt?"

I moved backwards before he could touch my arm. "No, no, it's fine. But I'll try not to do that ever again."

"Hey, this is part of being a fruit ninja. You just need to take it easy and train some more. The first time isn't always the best part."

"Yeah, I've noticed. So, should I start over?"

Katsuro wanted to laugh. "With a pile of fruit under our toes? Let's go get your arm patched up. We'll clean this mess later."

...

The rest of the time in the dojo wasn't that bad. After I had my arm healed with the inside of a banana peel, I kept honing my hand-to-hand combat skills, all the abilities I earned back in my clan and here. Back in my clan I learned to use the sai, nunchakus, and the shuriken. But mostly I used the ninja sword.

On that evening, when everybody was gone, I took that time to practice some more around the dojo, which was already clean. It was so cool to practice alone. I performed some hand movements, flips and kicks. I did everything my parents taught me.

Right after hands-only combat, I used the ninja sword replica to avoid unnecessary cuts. The moves I was taught by Sensei were pretty useful. I felt like my skills were improving well, but not like a promising ninja, like Katsuro and Mari were.

...

It was late night, and I decided to train outside, where the moon shined at its highest point. I had to admit I loved the scenery in nighttime more than in daytime.

This time I practiced my moves with a nunchaku replica. I made some good and awesome moves while moving and twirling the nunchaku like a baton. I admit I was doing good, but like they say, practice makes perfect.

* * *

><p>Hours passed since Kazeko trained under the moonlight. Now she was sleeping beside the cherry blossom tree like the first time she was sent there by Katsuro.<p>

During all the time she spent training, Katsuro and Sensei had been discretely watching her every move. They both knew she needed lots and lots of ninja training, even though she had been learning some ninja skills during her early years of life. But even with that she still needed to learn more to become a master fruit kunoichi.

Katsuro quietly opened the doors of the dojo and peeked his head out. He saw Kazeko sleeping under the cherry blossom tree and quietly went to see her.

He smiled by just looking at her, and placed a small bag of strawberries on her palm for tomorrow's breakfast. She moaned a little and rolled over.

With that done, Katsuro left her to sleep, even though he wondered why she liked to sleep outside.

* * *

><p>I found myself lying under the cherry blossom tree, the sunlight warmed me up nicely. I almost forgot how I came here, but then remembered all the training I had the previous night.<p>

Just then, I felt something touching my hand. It was something that tickled a bit.

I moaned. "Stop, that tickles." And I rolled over.

I felt another tickle in my hand. I had to chuckle. And when I opened my eyes, standing in front of me was a cute little pig with a white band on its head. Now I knew what tickled me. The pig was smelling my hand.

I stroked the piggy's head kindly. "Hey, buddy."

The little pig got closer to me and sniffed my face a little. I giggled.

"What is it, little one? Do you want something?"

Once again, the piggy smelled my hand. I then noticed there was a small bag next to me, and saw there was some strawberries inside. It must have been Katsuro. I kind of felt someone holding my hand the other night. And other than Katsuro or Mari I didn't knew anyone else, and Katsuro was the only one I knew the most.

"You want some sweet little strawberries, don't you?" I said with a cute voice.

The piggy seemed to understand what I said. He seemed so happy and hungry when I asked that. I picked up the bag I used and dug out two strawberries.

"Here. Hope you like them."

The piggy happily ate the strawberries, giving me some happiness. I never had a pet in my life, and this little pig looked so cute that I'd adopt it as a pet.

"It's good to see you awake, Kazeko."

I looked over to the owner of that voice. Once I heard that I felt nerves. But not the bad nerves. It was some jitters that instantly made me feel excited.

"Good morning, Katsuro-san." I greeted.

On a certain moment I wanted to run and hug him, but then I remembered that we were ninjas, and we barely know each other. So I got over with the thought and stood firm and straight.

"How's your arm?" He asked.

"It feels great, thank you. Actually banana peels worked out very well with the healing of the wounds, even though it's only used for insect bites."

"That's good to know. You and Truffles seem to get along pretty well too."

I raised an eyebrow. "Truffles? Oh! The piggy who likes strawberries. Aw, he's a cutie."

Katsuro laughed a bit. "Well, Sensei says you need to train more. We've been watching you last night, and your skills are getting better than when I first saw you."

"Really?"

Just then Mari came to see us.

"Good morning, fruit ninjas. Kazeko, I just got a message from Sensei. He has something promising for you."

"Really? How promising?"

Mari just smiled. I guess she was thinking what I was thinking.

"You're not kidding, are you?"


	4. Kazeko And The Ghost Fruits

Chapter 4: Kazeko And The Ghost Fruits

I heard from Sensei that my Sakurano Blade was being modified. That sounded great to me. No, it was the best thing I've heard in my life.

Right now I just did some basic ninja exercises to keep my body up and alert.

"How's it going there?" I heard Katsuro ask as he came next to me.

"Good. Though I still feel a bit sleepy."

I yawned right after I said that. I trained so hard the other night that I was still so tired to sleep.

"That was too much training you did last night. It really surprises me that someone like you can train so hard through the night."

"I'm already used to it." I said smiling. "But thanks. It really means so much to me that someone recognizes all the effort I do while training. I always seek to become a good kunoichi in the future. You might see I push myself hard, but it's worth it for making me a better kunoichi."

"I see determination in you, Sakurano-san."

Standing there were Mari and Sensei. Maybe he heard what I said. Mari waved a hand, saying hi.

"Sensei." I greeted, slightly bowing before the fruit ninja master.

"Sensei has been telling us how much you trained last night." Said Katsuro. "You can do even better, though."

"Yeah, I understand. But when will I improve?"

"Only time will tell you, Kazeko. But keep training. Practice makes perfect."

"I will."

"We should let Kazeko prepare for her training of the day."

"_Hai_, Sensei." Said both Katsuro and Mari together before they walked off.

"Um... _Sumimasen_, Mari-san..." I called, tapping her shoulder. "Am I still training with Katsuro-san?"

"Sure." She replied, turning to see me. "You still need some helpful tips to improve your abilities."

I was speechless at what she said. I was still going to be aided by Katsuro! I immediately felt my cheeks burning. I couldn't do it. He was just overloaded with cuteness!

Right after that she left the area, giving me some privacy. I inhaled some air with my nose, held it for a second, then breathed out with my mouth.

"Katsuro and I are going to do this together. Relax, Kazeko. It's just ninja training. Don't try to get jittery in front of everyone. Because if you do then they'll think you're acting crazy."

As I paced around the spot, I saw an apple. A red apple, to be specific. I felt some hunger in me. I wasn't a fruit eater, but I was hungry and I didn't had another choice. So I went to pick the apple.

"Okay, apple. Let's see how you taste like."

And then I took a bite.

"Hmm... um... Interesting flavor."

I swallowed it up then.

"Kazeko-san! Your training starts now!" Called Mari.

My heart rate increased when she called me. It was time for my training of the day.

I dropped the apple and ran off to see the fruit ninjas.

...

Today was my second day using the Original Blade. I found it too easy to slice the fruit with the sword, but I never showed signs of improvement. Katsuro and I were told to train in what Sensei called the Zen mode, where there was no bombs and we had to slice as much fruit as we could for exactly 1 minute and 30 seconds.

I was excited and nervous because Katsuro and I were going to do this together. I mean, come on! The guy was super cute, and every time he smiled or just looked at me in the eyes made me blush! Inside I couldn't help but go all... O. M. SQUEE!

And of course, we were the last left to train because Mari told us she already finished her training of the day. Now it was just Katsuro and me. I was like _"Sweet Sakurano, may my ancestors help me get rid of all this nervousness!"_ I honestly couldn't hold on to my nerves and my heart beating so fast whenever he looked at me!

Right now I watched as Katsuro sliced the fruits. His moves impressed me too much. The way he trained was so unique and awesome that I imagined lots of hearts hovering above my head. He sure was a promising fruit ninja apprentice like Sensei once said. Every move he made was like magic. I kept on watching until Katsuro was finally done.

I gave him a look of admiration and applauded a bit.

"That was way too easy." He said pridefully.

I then had a daydream.

...

_"That was way too easy."_ Said Katsuro pridefully.

_"Katsuro-san, you are amazing!"_ I said, full of admiration.

_"Thanks, Kazeko-san. You're amazing too."_

I looked at him with such a face and a huge blush. I could've sworn I wanted to hug him.

_"Sakurano-san, it's your turn."_

...

I gasped a little, already out of my daydream.

"Sakurano-san?"

Katsuro, Mari and Sensei, they all gave me some weird looks. I considered it was an awkward moment, so I just got over with it.

Now it was my turn. I took my sword and positioned myself.

"This is it." I muttered.

_An hour and thirty seconds later..._

After the Zen training I just walked around the dojo, looking at all the mess we made during our training of the day.

"Sakurano-san! I finally found you!"

I saw Mari coming towards me with a smile. I couldn't help but feel jittery because I thought I did something incorrect during my training of the day.

"Hi, uh... did I do something wrong?"

Mari chuckled at my shy acts. "No, you didn't. In fact you were good."

"Really?"

Mari just nodded. "Anyways, we're very busy doing some research on some of the blades."

"Do you need help, Mari-san?"

"Yeah. Think you can clean the dojo for us?"

"No problem. I'll leave it squeaky clean."

"Are you sure you can do this on your own? You've trained hard today, you look a little tired."

I stood firm and smiled with confidence. "Don't worry, I'll handle it."

_Later..._

After cleaning up all the fruit mess, it was time to sweep the floors. I really didn't bothered to help. I used to do this a lot in my clan, and I was so accustomed to it that it didn't bothered me to say yes.

And I loved helping these guys. They all seemed very nice and friendly, especially Katsuro. He seemed so trustworthy, but I really wasn't sure to give him my friendship and trust. I did talked to him and Mari. It was really cool to talk with them, but I had my limits because of my secret.

I wished I wasn't cursed with the power of wind. But I couldn't get rid of it for a whole eternity. I could still remember why I got the curse.

My parents once told me that, when I was just a newborn baby, a mysterious person with black magic powers threatened them with cursing the entire clan. The magician only succeeded with setting the curse on me and not everyone else because they were hidden into the cherry blossom trees. It was also an accident because they failed to escort me to the others. But I always forgave my parents for that and told them that someday I would be able to control the curse and live the life of a normal girl.

I remembered all the determination and confidence I had within myself. The memories of it all brought tears to my eyes. Sensei was right. I was too determined to get what I want, and that was like power to me.

I brought out my red apple. I loved its taste. Just as I swept, I took a bite from it. The apple was so fresh and juicy in the inside that a drop of juice fell down my cheek.

"I love apples."

Once I was done eating, I dropped the apple and swept it with some of the mess that remained there. All that time I just kept thinking about my curse.

_"Katsuro-san and Mari-san sure are nice people. But I'm still not sure about telling them my secret. I mean, are they really trustworthy? I feel so unsure about that. And I promised I wouldn't tell anyone."_

Just as I kept sweeping the floor, I saw a fruit rolling towards me. An apple. But this one had a strange purple glow surrounding it.

"That's one weird apple."

I dropped the broom and went to pick it up, but suddenly I heard the doors slamming so loud that it gave me the creeps. I also heard some thunders cracking.

I got into my fighting stance, thinking that something bad was about to come.

"Please, Sakurano ancestors, please tell me it's not the samurai men. Tell me that they're not here to find me and take me with them so they can take advantage of my curse."

Suddenly, the lights went off. That scared me.

"Okay... uh... hello?"

My voice echoed around the spot. Another thunderclap frightened me.

"Katsuro-san? Mari-san?" I called out loud, already starting to have some chills down my spine.

A glowing watermelon rolled at my direction. Then came some more round fruits in such a spooky way.

"Okay, this is definitely not good."

A whole trail of floating fruits then came at me. I bravely faced the ghost fruits by punching them away with my bare hands.

"Take... that!"

I then made a spin kick at another watermelon, throwing it away.

"Ha! In your face, ghost fruit!"

The doors opened with a strong burst of wind, allowing some dry leaves to fly in. I covered my face until the wind's intensification calmed down. The doors were slowly closing, with some noisy, creepy creaks. I took the chance to grab a sword and run out before the doors closed. I finally made it outside.

...

"Hello? Anyone there?"

I paced around the area. It was so dark, and the moon didn't showed up that night.

I heard a noise, that of when someone was passing by very fast. I quickly turned to the direction I heard the sound.

"Katsuro-san?"

The shaded figure appeared to be tiny. And it was running so fast. I cringed a little.

"Uh..."

The figure then came out of the shadows. I just saw Truffles, he was as scared as I was. He rapidly jumped to my arms. He was trembling and whimpering of fear.

"Shh, shh. Easy, boy. It's okay. You're with me." I whispered to him, stroking his head gingerly. "You did saw the ghost fruit too, didn't you?"

The piggy understood what I said, and whimpered more. I embraced him to my chest, trying to calm him down. As I did so, I looked around.

"I wonder where's everybody."

With no more words to say, I made my way down the high mountain and to the woods.

...

The forest was even worst than the dojo. It was cold, spooky, and the silence creeped me even more. But I wasn't alone. I still had Truffles with me, and I nicely hugged him whenever I felt even the slightest ounce of fear.

By then I didn't saw any more ghost fruits. That made me calm down a little, but that never meant everything was over. I was still alert and knew something else was going to happen.

"Okay, ghost fruits. Once I find you I swear I'll slice each of you with my mightiest sword."

I heard rustling right after I said that. I guessed the ghost fruits were already floating around the spot we were.

"Okay, buddy. Run, and find Katsuro-san."

I nicely dropped the piggy to the ground, and he ran off.

I prepared myself to fight, unsheathing the sword and standing in my fighting stance.

A shower of ghost fruits appeared out of nowhere. I quickly used my kunoichi senses and sliced the fruits in a rapid motion, just as I was taught by my parents. I also made several fruit combos while doing so.

* * *

><p>After all, Kazeko wasn't the only one who saw the rampaging ghost fruits. Katsuro and Mari had see and sliced some ghost fruits.<p>

"They're too many. If they keep appearing we'll never get to find Kazeko-san."

The desperate little pig then appeared to the sight of the fruit ninjas.

"Hey, it's Truffles."

The pig whimpered and ran on circles like a puppy.

"What is it, boy?"

"He's trying to tell us something." Said Mari. "Truffles, do you know where Kazeko-san is?"

The pig responded by running to the exact opposite direction where he came from.

Katsuro and Mari looked at each other. They both thought their new partner was in danger, so they followed Truffles.

* * *

><p>They were too many. I couldn't slice all that ghost fruit single-handedly. I was being outnumbered that I missed some and I was even hit in the head by an orange. That made me fall to the ground and drop my sword. I crawled to grab it, but it was too late. All that ghost fruit fell over me like an army going to hunt a single man.<p>

I blacked out under the mountain of ghost fruits.

_An hour later..._

"Kazeko-san... Kazeko-san... Kazeko-san... Kazeko-san... Kazeko-san!"

I woke up with a little dizziness and felt a small throb in my forehead. "Hmm... Apples... I want apple juice. Where's my apple juice?" I moaned.

"Kazeko-san, please put yourself together." Said Mari kindly.

I shook my head and blinked a few times. Katsuro and Mari were standing in front of me with concerned looks.

"Katsuro-san, Mari-san!"

I embraced them in a warm hug. When I withdrew back from them, the fruit ninjas looked at each other, a question mark floating above their heads.

"None of you won't believe what happened."

"We all know what happened. Ghost fruit attack. If it wasn't for Truffles we would've never found you." Said Mari.

"Wait a second, where am I? How long was I unconscious? And how'd you know about that?"

"In that order, you're in the dojo. You blacked out for an hour, and we saw all that ghost fruit and took care of everything. And that made me feel really good." Said Katsuro with a smile.

"Katsuro-san, this is serious! There was ghost fruit everywhere! I had to fight on my own and all that fruit attacked me!"

"Is she getting panicked?" Asked Mari.

"Why did something like that had to happen?!"

Katsuro came at me and slightly shook me by my arms. His orange eyes faced mine. "Kazeko! Relax. Take a deep breath."

He took in a deep breath and I did the same after him. Then we breathed out together.

"Feelin' better?" He asked.

"Yeah, also a little tired."

"We should let her sleep. We have much things to do in the morning." Said Mari.

Both left and I laid down to rest until the next day.

To be honest, that was the creepiest, craziest night I've had in Fruitasia.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong>

And there you had it! Chapter 4! :D

This was supposed to be a Halloween special. I know it's a little bit late now, but here it is! :)

Like I said in the first chapter, this is my very first time writing a fanfiction for Fruit Ninja. The game inspired me, and so did other Fruit Ninja fanfiction stories I've seen, though in amount they're just a few.

Anyways, please tell me how my story is going so far. Remember, bad reviews are not allowed.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day, everyone!


	5. Mari Suspects

Chapter 5: Mari Suspects

"Hyah!"

One, two, three... four fruit combos and I never missed any fruit! I realized I was getting better thanks to Sensei's wisdom and the helpful tips Katsuro and Mari told me. I felt so good! I even enjoyed the whole training thing!

Once the time was up, I dropped my stance and laid down the sword. I heard silent claps from Katsuro and Mari. I guessed they liked my skills better now.

"Well done, Sakurano-san." Said Sensei, proud to see my improved abilities. "I see a growing potential in your abilities, something I have never seen in an ordinary student."

"Seriously?" I asked with a big smile. "If that's so then someday I'll become a master at slicing fruit! And I love it!"

I stared at the two promising fruit ninjas with a smile. They smiled back at me.

"Your next training begins tomorrow. Be ready, apprentices."

"_Hai_, Sensei." The three of us said together.

The three of them walked away. Once they were all out of sight, I rushed to pick up some fruits. I picked five and placed them on those things where they jump up. I took my sword and waited until they were all up, and sliced them all at once, making a five fruit combo. I just had to cheer out loud.

"YEAH!"

...

"Ah, today's training was wonderful."

I hummed a random song whilst cleaning up my blade. It was already filthy with fruit juice and some small pieces of the outside of some fruit.

That five fruit combo... I wished my parents were there to see that. If I made Sensei proud, imagine what my parents would say about me. I was a pure Sakurano by heart and soul. And we, the Sakurano, felt very proud of the good and awesome things we did.

"Kazeko-san?"

Out of nowhere appeared Mari. I was a little startled by just her presence.

"K-_Kon'ichiwa_, Mari-san." I greeted nervously. "Do you, uh... need something?"

"Where do you come from, Kazeko-san?"

I blinked at her question. "Excuse me?"

"Your skills impressed Sensei... and me. I wish to know where you started doing things like this."

I was stuck at words. I knew I couldn't share the secrets of my clan. And I also knew I couldn't lie to someone like Mari. I really had no choice but to do that.

"I studied the sacred arts of the ninja in my younger years. When I finished my lessons I ran away from home. That's why then I had no place to stay."

"I see. Your abilities are intriguing, though you need to learn more. Katsuro has been repeatedly telling me how you surprisingly improved during your first training of the day."

I blushed on that certain moment. "Speaking of Katsuro, have you seen him? After training I never saw him around the dojo."

"Probably he's out in the woods. Why do you ask?"

"Um... Because... I need some help with something."

"Training is over for today, Kazeko-san. Go somewhere calm and relax. You're too determined to keep working with your abilities, but you need some time for yourself."

"Are you sure? It's just that... I've never been so lazy in 14 years."

Mari laughed at that. "Kazeko-san, you're too funny! Just go and relax."

"H-_Hai_." I responded nervously.

I sheathed the sword and walked off.

* * *

><p>Before Kazeko was out of sight, Mari noticed a particular symbol engraved in Kazeko's right arm. She never knew it was the symbol of her curse.<p>

Mari gasped at the tattoo. She then had a strange feeling about the pink kunoichi. She never saw that tattoo ever since she met her. Mari sensed something was wrong with Kazeko, which concerned her.

_"Kazeko-san... what are you hiding? And why?"_

Using her stealth skills, Mari followed Kazeko without being noticed.

* * *

><p>Later that day I had nothing else to do, so I just took some time to walk around the forest of Fruitasia just to distract myself. The vivid green plants gave me energy and tranquility. I could say it was the best day of my life. Everything seemed so shiny and beautiful. There was nothing better to do in free time than walking through such a beautiful forest.<p>

A small "thud" sound called my attention. I looked at the direction the sound took place, and saw something small.

"An apple?"

Yep. Lying on the ground, intact and never sliced, was a red apple. My stomach growled. Hunger was calling up.

"Finally." I sighed, walking close to the fruit.

All of a sudden, something made the apple move away. I took one more step, and it moved again. Just like a cat chasing a mouse, I sought to catch it.

The more moves I made, the more it kept going away. I even tried crawling on the ground and jumping to get it, but my attempts were too slow. Whoever tied a rope on the apple was making sure I couldn't pick it up. And that angered me because I felt so hungry.

There's when I decide to take bigger measures, and used my sword... well, the sword Katsuro gave me. I stepped as quiet as I could towards the apple and swiped my sword, but again it moved quickly.

I groaned so hard. I wanted to at least take one bite of that apple! But I knew that complaining about my hunger wasn't my best option to get it, so I just kept my attempts of picking it up.

"Get... over... here!"

After one last attempt to catch the apple, I got tired. Who thought that chasing a single apple could be so exhausting? I afterwards sat down and meditated for a while, recovering the energy I used during the chase of the red apple.

* * *

><p>Kazeko never knew who drew the apple away from her grasp. It turns out that Mari was testing her skills, and laughed every single time because she made it difficult for Kazeko to grab the apple. She realized Kazeko wasn't as fast as she thought she was.<p>

But she did noticed something. She noticed Kazeko could easily be angered when things didn't turn out the way she wanted them to be. And all for just an apple. Mari couldn't believe it.

She untied the apple and threw it near Kazeko, then waited. Kazeko opened her eyes and saw the apple in front of her. Her stomach growled again. She grabbed the apple and thought about eating it.

Soon enough, Mari heard a crunchy sound and chuckled. Kazeko accepted the apple given by her. The apple was so juicy and delicious to her taste that she enjoyed every bite until she was done.

Later after that, Kazeko laid on her side. She was pretty much tired of all the things she did, so she drifted off to a nice daytime sleep.

...

Mari took a peep on Kazeko. It's been minutes since she ate the apple, and now she was fully asleep. The redhead used that time to look at the girl closely.

When she got closer, Kazeko moaned and rolled over, with her right arm up. The tattoo in her arm was fully shown, so Mari took a good eye on it. It was a symbol she never saw before. The triple wind symbol that marked the curse in the child.

_"What is this?"_ She thought. She was about to touch the girl's arm before she moaned.

"Hmmm... Mom?" Mumbled Kazeko and rolled over again, letting out a breath.

"Kazeko-san!"

In the distance called Katsuro. He was looking for Kazeko.

The girl began to stir, already waking up.

"Katsuro-san?"

Mari didn't wanted Kazeko to notice she was following her, so she immediately hid away before the fruit ninja arrived to see her.

"Kazeko, you look sleepy." Said Katsuro as he helped her up.

"Yeah, I am. I fell asleep after I don't know how much minutes trying to grab an apple."

Mari chuckled at that. She knew Kazeko would do anything to get what she wanted and wouldn't rest until she earned it. She was too determined.

"Staying here all by yourself could be dangerous. You still have much to learn, and one important lesson you should know is to always be on your guard."

"I understand, Katsuro-san."

"That's good to know. Come with me."

Kazeko stood petrified as she saw him walking off.

"Uh... Katsuro-san, where are we going?"

...

During that beautiful day, Katsuro and Kazeko walked around the woods. And they did that so Kazeko could get some energy from the vivid forest.

They enjoyed their walk, and Kazeko couldn't resist a smile because she was personally walking with the guy who helped her before they met. She always had to look away and sometimes cover her cheeks because she liked him.

_"He's just so cute."_ She thought. _"But he's a fruit ninja. And I'm a Sakurano Kunoichi, so we've got to respect each other. My parents always said "never fall in love with a ninja, no matter who he is or where he's from." Ninjas are dangerous, yes. But Katsuro is different. He's awesome, he's nice, and he's very kind. I can't help but like him so much!"_

Kazeko felt her stomach grumbling once again. She knew that just an apple wasn't much for her, and groaned a bit in anger. She hated being hungry that much.

"You hungry?"

Kazeko blushed. The way Katsuro stared at her was too cute for her. However, the way she looked at him said too much than just a "yes". And he knew she liked red apples.

He spotted a single red apple on a tree and smiled.

"Kazeko-san?"

Kazeko looked at him with a huge blush burning her cheeks. "Huh?"

"Close your eyes, and open your hands."

"Why?"

Katsuro wanted to laugh. He positioned her hands and tied a blindfold on her eyes. Kazeko chuckled sheepishly.

Katsuro climbed a tree and jumped to another and so on until he reached the apple.

Kazeko heard several ninja yells and slashes. Seconds after that, Katsuro landed in front of her and held her hands. The apple then landed on her hands. Katsuro didn't bothered to remove the blindfold.

Kazeko saw the apple. It was bigger than the previous one she ate.

"Thanks." She said and took a bite.

_The next day..._

That day there was more ninja training. This time Kazeko had to learn another difficult ninja lesson, and that was balance.

She, Katsuro and Mari were ready for it. They stood next to each other. Kazeko took a good look at the training course. There was lots of tall bamboo sticks, two small cannons that shoot fruit, and in the floors were small spikes. At the end of the course was a flag with a wind symbol.

Kazeko found it difficult. Bamboo sticks were difficult to stand on, and she wasn't good with balance.

Sensei nodded for the ninjas to begin. The first one to begin was Mari, who went through the course pretty well, jumping from one bamboo stick to another. A pineapple with a face appeared in front. Mari gave it a spin kick and moved on, avoiding some fruit that were shot from the small cannons. Once she made it to the goal, she held up the flag.

It was Katsuro's turn. Sensei nodded for him to go, and he immediately climbed up to the top of a bamboo stick. When he got the balance he desired, he jumped to a further bamboo stick and sliced some fruit.

_"You go, Katsuro-san!"_ Thought Kazeko, cheering him up. Sensei noticed Kazeko was clapping, and stared back at her seriously. The pink kunoichi stood firm, with her arms behind her.

The young ninja kept going without failing. Kazeko saw he performed some unique moves just like in their previous training, and he was too fast that he made it to the goal in no time.

Once they saw he held up the flag, Sensei nodded once again, it was Kazeko's turn now. She ran to the bamboo sticks, but found it difficult to climb. The sticks were slippery to her sandals, so she slipped off.

Katsuro saw that coming and tried to encourage her to keep it up.

Kazeko took a deep breath, focusing her body and mind. When she felt prepared, she climbed on one bamboo stick, holding it with a hand, but again she slipped off, but held tight on the stick.

_"Kazeko, focus."_

She felt a slight burn in her right arm. It was the symbol of her curse. She knew what to do.

_"Let me control your power, mighty wind."_

Kazeko held a foot on the bamboo stick, and jumped to the other, climbing up to the top using the two bamboo sticks that were on her sides. Her secret skills seemed interesting to Sensei, as he raised an eyebrow.

Kazeko carefully jumped from one bamboo stick to another using the balance she earned using her secret powers. She got close to one of the cannons, and sliced the fruits that were shot at her. She quickly jumped away before another fruit was shot.

She almost lost balance, but retrieved it immediately. She thought about doing something unique just like Katsuro. A smile appeared on her face. Two watermelons almost hit her, but she ducked down, holding her hands on the bamboo sticks.

Her eyes saw the spikes on the floors. She closed her eyes tightly and breathed.

_"Okay. Kazeko, you can do this."_

She strengthened her grip on the sticks, and raised one leg, then the other slowly. Now she was standing on her hands.

_"Impressive."_ Thought Mari.

The pink kunoichi made a slow flip forward, setting her feet on the following sticks, and stood straight. She then took a small run, stepping on each stick. She knew she was doing good, but then she had a flashback in her mind.

_"Kazeko, run away!"_

Kazeko gasped at that, and because of that she stopped running, lost balance and fell through. She didn't hit the spikes, but she did hit the ground on her back. She winced a little and kicked a bamboo stick, which was the one that had the flag on. The object fell down to Kazeko, hitting her head.

A look of surprise was seen in Kazeko. She climbed up the last bamboo stick and held up the flag. She was done with her training.

_"I made it! I so made it!"_ She thought.

* * *

><p>I hummed happily as I walked around like a child. My training of the day was even better than the last one from the previous day.<p>

I've never been so happy before in my life! I felt happiness overflowing through every bit of me. My heart and soul were full of joy.

That was until I saw Mari standing in front of me with her hands on her hips.

"Sakurano-san."

My blood froze. _"Oh, goodness. Not her again!"_

I always thought it was because I discretely used my power at a very low scale. So I just made a fake smile and said hi.

"Mari-san! Hey! That was impressive training you and Katsuro-san did back there."

The redhead never said a thing. She just walked close to me, held my right arm and saw the tattoo of my curse.

I felt so nervous on that moment that my heart raced and pumped strongly against my chest.

"Kazeko-san, please, be honest. What is this?"

I was about to speak, but Mari covered my mouth with a hand.

"Shh. You can tell me later. Meet me at the woods with Katsuro and we'll talk this through, okay?" She requested nicely.

She uncovered my mouth, and I did a shaky nod.

"_Hai_, Mari-san."

She turned heels and walked away.

_"Dang, I'm screwed!"_

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

Ooh! How was that for a fifth chapter? I bet it was good to y'all, wasn't it? I really wish to know your thoughts on this story. I'm truly sorry if I'm insisting. So please review this chapter and express yourselves! :)

Remember, no bad reviews, please.

Have a nice day/afternoon/evening!

xD


	6. Kazeko's Confession

Chapter 6: Kazeko's Confession

_"Meet me at the woods with Katsuro and we'll talk this through, okay?"_

I felt so screwed. After so much time hiding from people, now I didn't knew what to do. Mari just saw the symbol of my curse in my arm, and I didn't even knew how or why she did that.

Now I didn't knew where to hide. On that instant I wished to become invisible and just... disappear. With just Mari asking me what my symbol was I somehow thought everyone would discover my secrets. And my Sakurano Blade... it was still being modified.

_"If Sensei finds out my blade's secret power, I'm so doomed! I will lose my dignity and break my promise! I'll then be the Sakurano clan's biggest shame and get myself locked up forever!"_

So much emotions swelled over me. That was until I passed by where Katsuro was. I immediately hid behind a wall and peeked my head out. Katsuro was busy cleaning up his sword. His back was turned to me, so he never noticed I was standing there. I felt some jitters in my stomach. I didn't dare ask him something like what Mari told me. But I had to.

_"Relax, Kazeko. It's not like he's going to eat you alive or anything. Oh, I'm so nervous! But if I keep wasting time here then I'll never get to the woods!"_

I took a deep, silent breath, and took a step forward.

"Katsuro-san?"

My voice called his attention. He stopped cleaning his sword and turned to see me with his sweetest smile ever. He made my heart race so bad!

"Kazeko. What brings you here?"

I looked away, scratching the back of my head nervously. "I, um... Mari-san told me to meet her in the woods with you. I've got some things to tell you both."

I could've sworn I felt a little pale because I was so nervous! Katsuro noticed, however, and came close to me. He gingerly lifted my head by my chin and saw my face. I stared deep into his orange eyes.

"Are you alright, Kazeko? You're getting pale."

I felt my heart racing even more, but I did my best to hide that feeling. "Don't worry. This can happen when I get nervous."

"You sure? Trust me, I can help you."

"I really thank you for that, Katsuro-san, but I'm fine."

"Okay. So, when should we go?"

"Mari-san never told me when, but I think we should go right now. I have something important to discuss with you and her."

Katsuro nodded, and we both walked out of there.

...

By that time, we already made it down to the woods. We stood on a nice spot and waited.

"Mari-san?" I called. "We're here."

In no time we heard rustling coming from the trees. And I saw a shade passing by very fast.

"Kazeko-san."

Up on a tree was Mari. She expected to see us both.

"So you did came." She then jumped down, landing in front of us. "Kazeko-san, I believe you have something important to discuss with us."

"Yes. It's about me."

There was silence for a while. It was time to confess them the pure truth.

"I just hope you can forgive me... because I lied. I've been lying all this time. But I have my reasons."

"Kazeko, you can trust us. You can tell us anything. We're not going to hurt you."

It was difficult. I promised I wouldn't tell anyone anything about my secret. Katsuro's words sounded too honest, and the way he looked at me... he was worried, like, very worried. He leaned his head a bit like a puppy, waiting for my response.

"Fine. I promised I wouldn't tell anyone my secrets, but I'll tell you. And you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone you don't know."

Katsuro and Mari nodded.

I took a breath and spoke up.

"Alright, I'll tell you the truth. I never went to a school of the arts of ninja. I was born in the Sakurano clan, my long lost family."

"You had a family?"

"_Hai_. But when I was a kid, an army of samurai called for an all-out war, and I lost the entire clan to them. They burned down every house and took everybody as their prisoners. They even took my parents away from me."

It was seen in their faces that they were very sorry about me.

Mari rested her hand on my back. "Kazeko-san, why did they do that?"

I felt a lump in my throat. Tears began coming out. "When I was born, I fell under a curse. One that can't be undone. The mark in my right arm is the symbol of wind. I have powers, unlike you."

Katsuro held my right arm nicely and saw the tattoo of the triple wind symbol. "Kazeko, why didn't you told us about this? We can help you get through it."

"No, you can't. The curse is eternal. It lasts until the day of my death. But legend says that if a Sakurano or any other clan member is strong enough to resist even the strongest intensification of a curse, the person shall reborn eight days after their death."

"How does it intensify? If it's a curse, you sure must have a weakness, don't you?"

"It's all about negative emotions. Whenever I feel scared, enraged or even furious, the curse is unstoppable until my bad emotions end, otherwise my powers will be used against my will."

"So that explains the wind storm when I found you."

"Exactly. I involuntarily summoned it because I was scared of you, Katsuro-san. But I'm not afraid anymore. And I have to control my emotions, or else... I'll turn to stone if the curse grows within me. That would be... that would be my very end."

I felt like crying then. I couldn't hold on to so many tragic memories. They understood how I felt and tried their best to comfort me.

Mari's face saddened, but she was strong enough, and never showed that expression. "Kazeko-san, we had no idea. We're really sorry about your clan, and your family."

Without even expecting it, Katsuro gave me such a warm hug. My eyes grew big, I felt more like crying, and hugged him back. He squeezed me up a bit. I started feeling so good and relaxed in his arms. I could even feel his heartbeat.

"You're with us now, Kazeko. We'll do our best to keep you and your secret safe from anyone who could hurt you."

I looked at him in the eyes. "Katsuro-san... are you protecting me?"

Katsuro simply nodded.

I dropped a tear, this made his smile fade.

"Aw. Kazeko, don't cry. Come on, show me your smile."

Katsuro wiped away my tear with his thumb. I tried so bad to smile, but it was too much sadness. I couldn't even laugh or blush.

"I'm sorry... for all the lies. I... I shouldn't even..."

I withdrew back from him, turned heels and slowly walked away. Now I felt depressed because of those sad memories of my past. I should've never brought that up to myself.

Just as a tear came out of my eye, I felt the wind howling hard around me. The curse was slightly affecting me. Only the slightest bad emotion can cause the wind to blow hard, causing no damages to anything at all.

However, I did felt a headache and felt my energies decreasing. I was getting easily tired. I felt my legs getting numb and heavy. After a few minutes of walking, I laid down beside a tree trunk and dozed off to sleep.

_"Why did that curse had to affect my emotions?"_ I thought.

I then fell into my dream world.

...

I saw a land, a recognizable land, burning in flames. I heard no people screaming or calling for help. There was just the blazing fire growing wild around the spot.

I found myself floating above the burning land. I never knew how I got up there, but I was flying. And I saw a subject standing over the ceiling of a big temple. It turned out to be a tall man dressed in a samurai armor. The man had a sword in hand.

I had the angriest expression ever in my face when I saw the samurai man. He was not good at all, especially because he was one of the many men who took my entire clan as their prisoners.

_"Join us, Sakurano!"_

...

"Aah!"

That horrible dream made me wake up with a shriek. I panted hard and placed a hand on my chest, feeling my fast heartbeat. On an instant I wanted to cry, but then I heard footsteps approaching and a female voice calling my name.

"Kazeko-san!"

I looked around myself. "I'm... still in the woods?"

Soon enough, Mari came to see me.

"Kazeko-san, we heard a scream. Are you okay?"

I turned my head down, not wanting to look at her of how sad I was. "I'm not okay, Mari-san. I had a nightmare."

This time she showed some expression.

She nicely lifted my head up. "Kazeko-san, look at me. If you keep feeling like this your curse will take over you. Please, calm down. It was just a bad dream. It won't happen again."

"It's not easy, Mari-san. It's not just a nightmare, it's a memory of my past. What I saw in my dreams is exactly what happened ten years ago."

"The loss of your clan?"

I nodded.

Mari sighed. "I'm really sorry, Kazeko-chan. But you're not alone. So there's no reason to be sad. Katsuro and I will always be there for you."

I looked at her with tears filling my eyes. She smiled at me.

"Kazeko-chan, can we be friends?"

That was the one question I've never heard in my entire life. I never had friends in my past. I knew a few people, but they weren't as close as friends. I was a lonely girl after all that chaos came up, because my only company was my parents.

I felt like crying, but with joy. I nodded and we both hugged. Now I had my very first friend.

"Mari-san..."

Mari laughed. "Just call me Mari."

"Right." I chuckled. "It's very nice to meet you, Mari."

We withdrew back from each other right before Katsuro came to view. He still got my jitters on and on whenever he got so close to me. He offered me another apple, and I happily accepted it, grabbing a big bite.

"Mmm... thish one ish really shweet." I said with my mouth full. "I love it!"

Katsuro helped me up, and the three of us walked together.

* * *

><p>A black mist flew up in the air and back to a person. It turned out to be a black magic spell that was used to find a wanted person.<p>

_Elsewhere..._

There was an evil laugh lingering in the air. An evil sorcerer had casted the spell, and to his surprise, he saw the girl he had cursed ten years ago.

"I have finally found you, Sakurano princess." He said with a sinister smile.

...

Sitting on a throne was the lord of the samurai army. He was the one who led the war at the Sakurano clan's homeland, the one who commanded to imprison every single member of the clan so they could give him information about the cursed girl.

He had his entire army to demand answers from the Sakurano prisoners. But they all defended themselves and never told them a thing or two about the emperors' child.

The doors of the throne room opened with such force, and the Dark Sorcerer entered the room.

"Samurai Lord, I have found the cursed one."

There was a sinister smile in the lord's face.

"Where is the child, Dark Sorcerer?" Boomed the lord's voice.

"Far away from these lands. It's a whole different place."

"Reveal the name!" Demanded the lord.

"It's a place called Fruitasia... and the child is not alone."

"Leave... now."

The Dark Sorcerer left immediately.

The Samurai Lord laughed coldly. He finally knew Kazeko's destination.

"I've been wandering for ten years since your disappearance, Sakurano. Now, the wait is over. After a decade of impatiently waiting, your freedom will vanish, and you will be mine!"

_Back at Fruitasia..._

Katsuro, Mari, and their new friend, Kazeko, enjoyed their walk to the dojo. But Kazeko started having a strange feeling, so she stopped.

"Kazeko, what's wrong?" Asked Katsuro. "Why did you stopped?"

The tattoo in her arm started to burn. The curse was calling up, and Kazeko had a flashback.

_"Sakurano, I finally found you."_

She heard the Dark Sorcerer's creepy voice in her head, and her eyes grew big.

"Kazeko-chan, say something." Called Mari.

Kazeko never said a thing. She knew what was happening, and it was so much that she passed out on the ground.

"Kazeko-chan!"

The two ninjas leaned before her to wake her up, but as they tried, a small portion of Kazeko's hair turned inky black from the scalp to the tip. Now she had a thin black stripe on her right side of her hair.

Mari took that piece of hair in her hands and analyzed it.

"Katsuro, the curse is affecting her."

Without a moment's hesitation, Katsuro carried Kazeko in his arms, and both ran to seek for help.


	7. Song Of The Cherry Blossoms

Chapter 7: Song Of The Cherry Blossoms

Sharp and squishy sounds took over in the dojo. It turns out that Katsuro continued his ninja training after he and Mari helped Kazeko. The pink girl remained asleep all day long after having a bad time with her visions caused by her curse, which, unbeknownst to her, was being controlled by the Dark Sorcerer.

Everything had been normal then. And now everyone knew about Kazeko much more. Even Sensei was surprised to know he was teaching the heiress of the Sakurano clan the sacred ways of the fruit ninja.

But the young heiress was resting peacefully. She had to recover a lot of energy so she could get back to her ninja training.

She had a dream about her family...

Her dream was about the moment she was being taught by her father. She was three years old, and was using her gifted sword, the legendary Sakurano Blade.

_"It's too big, father. I can't do this."_

Her father, the emperor, chuckled. _"Kazeko, don't give up. You might be smaller than your sword, but someday its power will grow along with you."_

_"So I'm going to be bigger than my blade? Will I reach the skies?"_

_"Oh, yes. In the future, you will be the biggest, prettiest, and most brave young lady. And someday you will reach to rule our clan, and our empire."_

Kazeko admired and believed every of her father's words.

Her mother, the empress, laughed. _"Kazeko, dear, your favorite sushi is ready."_

_"Really?"_

_"Go ahead and eat. Your father and I have much to discuss."_

Kazeko carefully handed the sword to her father and ran off to eat. She was so happy, but that was ruined when fear struck her on her back when she walked through the halls.

She always remembered something her mother taught her.

_"Whenever you feel scared, my dear, just remember to sing. Our glorious ancestors loved to sing to our cherry blossom trees. Never forget that."_

Kazeko smiled, she knew what to do.

She ran out of the Sakurano palace and sat next to a cherry blossom tree monk-style. Then she sang a beautiful Japanese song that was dedicated to their symbolic tree and the beauty of Spring. Her heavenly child voice echoed around the place as she softly sang.

The last thing she saw was the cherry blossom tree in front of her. Then the dream ended.

...

Kazeko woke up peacefully. She still remembered the song of the cherry blossoms. Even though she felt happy because she remembered it, she felt sad for the loss of her clan to the samurai army.

But something interrupted her sorrow. Beside her bed was a small basket full of red apples, and a small scroll with a red bow tie.

"Who sent this?"

She took the scroll and opened it, revealing a small letter.

_"Enjoy your apples, Kazeko-chan!"_

Below those words was Mari's name written in Japanese letters. Kazeko closed the scroll and took a bite on one of the apples.

"Thank you, Mari." She said smiling, and gave the apple one big bite.

...

Kazeko walked around the dojo, only to be surprised by the presence of the fruit ninjas. They were all honing their skills, which amazed Kazeko.

She watched them as they trained from the corner she was standing. She sighed. Her eyes were stuck on Katsuro. He was too good in what he did. She couldn't help but admire him too much.

She sighed at the fact she barely woke up. She wasn't too much energized on that time, but she wanted to train just like them.

"Oh, you're finally up."

When time was up, everybody sheathed their swords and left, except Katsuro and Mari, who went to see Kazeko.

"It's good to see you awake, Kazeko-chan." Smiled Mari, glad to see Kazeko well and awake. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than earlier." Replied Kazeko with a small smile. "Oh, and thanks for the apples. They were nice."

"Actually, that was Katsuro's idea."

Kazeko blushed terribly. "Um, really? Then why did the letter said you brought them?"

"He really didn't wanted to bother you. He wanted you to have a nice rest. You've been sleeping for exactly five hours since we brought you here."

"Five hours?! Holy Sakurano, that's too much time! Mari, should I start training?"

"Kazeko, keep your cool." Said Katsuro, who stood beside the pink girl. "You just had a heavy time back in the woods, you should rest some more."

"I understand, Katsuro-san, but I'm no weak kunoichi. If I want to become an expert on this I should train just like you guys. I can't just sit down and do nothing. I've got to do this right now."

"Always determined, Sakurano-san."

Everyone stood firm and well when they saw their teacher.

"I am very surprised about your true origins, Kazeko."

Kazeko felt nervous. "I really apologize for lying. I had to keep a secret safe, but now I realize I have good partners who will help me protect it. Sensei, I feel like I should continue my ninja training immediately."

"Determination defines who you are, but you are also impatient. Have patience, Kazeko, and rest. When you feel ready, then continue."

"_Hai_, Sensei."

Kazeko was surprised to know that little fact. Just as Sensei walked away with his cane in hand, she began to think...

_"Me? Impatient? Why? My clan's been always like that and they were never called impatient. Everyone's been just too determined to get what they wanted, just like me."_

"Kazeko, what's the matter?" Asked Katsuro.

"Nothing, I'm good. But that just surprised me. I never thought I was so impatient all this time."

"Relax. Some people can lose patience at times. It's a normal thing."

"You think so?"

"Positive. Now, you should head back to rest."

"Katsuro-san, I really need to do this. I don't want to play the role of a defenseless little girl. I must be a strong, independent and brave kunoichi. My parents taught me that so one day I rule the Sakurano clan like a true leader."

"That's interesting." Said Mari. "Kazeko-chan, we understand you, but please don't get yourself worn out too much."

"But..."

Katsuro gently jammed Kazeko's lips with a finger. "Kazeko, listen, we both know you have much to learn in the future, but for now just rest, okay?"

He then uncovered her lips. Kazeko turned her head down sadly. Katsuro nicely lifted her head back up, only to see Kazeko's sad eyes. He gave her one soft smile that almost told her to calm down and have a good time resting.

"_Hai_." She finally said with a low voice.

And just like that, she walked out of the dojo with such a sad look. She didn't care about her physical status, she just wanted to enhance her skills.

"Poor Kazeko, she's too determined to keep going, but she's being restless. I don't know how she can keep up like that."

"Mari, she's a Sakurano Kunoichi. Kazeko is not like us. She's different."

"And her curse... it still worries me too much. We have to avoid making her feel any kind of negative emotion. Katsuro, do you have any plans?"

_Outside..._

Kazeko sat under the cherry blossom tree and sighed.

"I can't believe this. Am I doing something wrong? I mean, there's nothing wrong with being too determined, but why do I keep being so impatient and restless?"

She sighed again, and laid her head on the trunk of the tree.

"Sakurano clan, I still miss you so much. I can't believe it's been ten years since I lost you."

She took a deep breath, and, when everything was silent, she remembered what her mother once told her. She sang the song of the cherry blossoms.

_"Sakura, Sakura_

_Yayoi no sora wa_

_Mi-watasu kagiri_

_Kasumi ka kumo ka_

_Nioi so izuru_

_Izaya, izaya_

_Mini yukan."_

She hummed the song, closing her eyes and taking in the tranquil scent of the cherry blossoms.

"Ah, I love the _kaori_ of the cherry blossoms."

She got up and stretched her body.

"If I can't train, then at least I'll do some exercise."

After stretching out some more, Kazeko walked out, but was stopped by Katsuro.

"Kazeko."

She turned sround to see him, with some nerves creeping her.

"Katsuro-san, uh... hi."

He walked closer to her and carefully stared at her.

"Kazeko, take it easy. You're being too nervous."

"Sorry, I get like this almost all the time. It's a thing I inherited from my forefathers."

Katsuro sighed at the fact Kazeko was being too jittery, and thought of something he could do to help. Ever since he met her, he knew she wasn't in peace, so he had an idea.

"Katsuro-san, _daijōbu_?"

With no words, Katsuro pushed Kazeko against his chest, giving her such a warm and peaceful hug. Kazeko felt her heart racing so rapidly and her eyes grew big. She also felt him squeezing her a bit. They stood like that for minutes before they withdrew back from each other.

"Katsuro-san, what was that?"

Katsuro laughed. "It surprises me that someone like you would ask that."

"Katsuro-san! You're a fruit ninja, and I'm a Sakurano Kunoichi. So we're supposed to respect each other because of our differences."

"It doesn't really matter where you're from, Kazeko. Now you're with me, and you're my friend, so I'll protect you."

_"Such beautiful words he has ever said to me."_ Kazeko thought. _"And the way he hugged me... oh my sakura, I think he's my secret crush!"_

"So, how do you feel right now?"

She looked at him in the eyes and smiled. "Much better. I'll be in the woods for a while. See ya then, friend."

She turned heels and walked off with a big smile.

_At the forest..._

Kazeko walked around the woods, doing some jumps like a happy child. She hummed the song of the cherry blossoms to herself, until she caught up the sound of a beautiful melody. It was the same song, but performed with a bamboo flute.

"Huh?"

Kazeko listened carefully, but the melody stopped.

"I could've sworn I heard a sweet melody somewhere."

Kazeko looked around. She knew she was in the clear, but the beautiful melody made her think she wasn't alone after all. So she followed the melody by singing along.

_"Sakura..."_

Her heavenly voice made some birds fly, and the sound of the bamboo flute followed her, imitating the same tone she did with her voice. Kazeko gasped.

"So I am being followed. Okay. Kazeko, be on your guard, just like Katsuro said." She whispered to herself. "I think I should follow the sound."

She silently sneaked around, confiding on her skills to reach the sound of the bamboo flute.

...

_"Yayoi no sora wa..."_

Once again, Kazeko heard the sound of the flute following her as she sang. She noticed she was getting close to find the one who played the flute.

"I wonder who's around the woods. If it's Katsuro or Mari I'm definitely leaving. Of course, they wouldn't expect to see me running around. They just told me to rest like I'm some sort of _orokana_ _shōjo_."

Far from where Kazeko stood was another fruit ninja. The subject who played he flute. He heard everything she said, and silently unsheathed a sword from inside the bamboo flute.

...

Now Kazeko was standing on a tree branch. She never heard the sound of the flute anymore.

"Something's up, I can feel it."

* * *

><p>I thought I was all alone in the woods. Yeah, uh huh! The irony! Once I heard the beautiful sound of the flute, I somehow felt somebody was pursuing me.<p>

Katsuro and Mari told me to rest, so I never thought they'd be coming after me. Instead, I thought there was _someone else_ in the woods, which creeped my nerves.

I let out a shaky breath. I was alert, but also nervous. There's when I decided to use my sword.

"Hyah!"

My sword suddenly clashed with another. It turns out that I found the one who played the flute.

My entire body froze at the sight of this other ninja guy...

* * *

><p>Author's note<p>

And with that we end Chapter 7!

You may have noticed I added the Sakura song to this story. It's got pretty interesting lyrics and its meaning is beautiful. It's a Japanese folk song that describes the beauty of the cherry blossoms and the season of Spring, which is when they bloom the most.

I added it to this story because Kazeko's clan's name, the Sakurano, means "of the cherry blossoms", and it kind of coincides with the song. So now you know a bit about the Sakurano clan's backstory. Their one cultural activity was to sing to the cherry blossoms. Awesome, isn't it?

Also, I decided to add all of the characters to this story. I will introduce the last two in my future chapters!

Anyways, reviews are welcome!

Thank you for reading this chapter and have a nice day, or afternoon... or evening... Okay, I'm gone. See ya!


	8. The Power Within, More Fruit Ninjas?

Chapter 8: The Power Within, More Fruit Ninjas?

During the day, after their training, Katsuro and Mari used that time to relax. They had a lot of ninja training earlier after Kazeko left for a nice walk, and were already exhausted.

"So, you and Kazeko are getting along pretty well, huh." Mari said, looking at a smiling Katsuro from the corner of her eye. Katsuro was aimlessly looking at the beautiful view of their land.

"She's cool, a little nervous and obviously restless, but I like her, even though she's a Sakurano Kunoichi."

"I like her too." Replied Mari. "But, Katsuro, we both know one important rule Sensei told us... a fruit ninja should never fall in love."

Katsuro almost coughed at what Mari told him. He laughed at that.

"Mari, it's too obvious we're just friends. Kazeko and I aren't in love or anything."

"Okay, but keep that as a warning, Katsuro. We don't want to disappoint Sensei."

"We won't. Neither will a kid like Kazeko."

...

Kazeko ran all the way back to the dojo. She was panicked and didn't knew what to do because she had an encounter with another ninja she never knew.

She felt her powers taking over, but she did her best to never feel afraid, and kept running. She needed Katsuro's help, though.

The thought of Katsuro made her heart flutter. For a moment she felt like the time was slowing down as she imagined a lovely scene of herself and Katsuro.

She saw both lying under a cherry blossom tree. They were in great peace, and there was nothing interrupting their moment together. They were also looking at each other in the eyes. Kazeko saw the brilliance in Katsuro's orange eyes.

Kazeko couldn't get that image out of her mind. Her crush on him grew immensely that she didn't knew how to handle it. She couldn't hold it... she was in love with Katsuro.

"Katsuro-san... _watashi wa anata o aishiteimasu_..."

The thought and lots of imaginary hearts floating up distracted Kazeko a lot before she got hit in the head by a flying coconut. It was too strong that she fell and blacked out afterwards.

...

Little was the time Kazeko stood unconscious. She woke up, finding herself lying next to a watermelon which had a dummy face.

"Wh-what is this? Where am I?"

Her surroundings were dark. This made her feel fear within. The coldness brought a chill down her spine.

"Katsuro-san?"

Kazeko heard loud rustling around her. Immediately, more fear struck her. She started hyperventilating, and as she did, the wind blew hard around her.

"Hello?"

Out of the shadows came another ninja with blonde hair that almost reminded Kazeko of a yellow apple. Kazeko hyperventilated even more. This other ninja had a sheathed sword, and Kazeko knew what was coming.

The ninja walked closer to Kazeko. He stared at her intensely, he noticed all the fear she felt. He never said a word and unsheathed his sword.

Another portion of Kazeko's hair turned black, the skies made the forest darken even more and the wind blew harder. Kazeko's fear grew when she saw the ninja unsheathing his sword, and braced tightly when he raised it up, then brought it down.

The only thing the ninja cut was the dummy watermelon beside Kazeko. She uncovered her eyes and looked up at the fruit ninja confused.

"_Anata wa daredesu ka_?"

The ninja never said a word. He just brought out a red apple and threw it at Kazeko, then he walked away.

Kazeko sat up, still confused, and looked down at the red apple.

"_Masaka_. He just couldn't be..."

Kazeko thought for a while, and realized what just happened. The realization surprised her too much.

"Oh my _sakura_..."

...

"Katsuro-san! Mari!"

Both ninjas saw Kazeko coming and went to see her.

"Katsuro-san, I... I need your help." Babbled Kazeko panting.

"Kazeko-chan." Called Mari, holding the pink girl's shoulders. "Kazeko-chan, slow down. What happened? Why were you running like that?"

"You... you won't believe what I saw back in the woods. There's more of you guys."

Katsuro chuckled and looked at Mari. "Wow, so she didn't knew."

Kazeko looked at him with a baffled look. "Eh?"

Mari then took over, resting her hands over Kazeko's shoulders "Kazeko-chan, I think it's time you get to meet all of us better."

"What do you mean, Mari?" Kazeko asked. "Because I'm feeling a bit jittery by now."

"I mean that we're not the only ones here."

Two other ninjas came by to greet Katsuro and Mari. They were the same ninjas Kazeko saw. Kazeko didn't liked these other ninjas, so she took Katsuro's sword and stood in front of them.

"Stay away from my friends, or else, fear my power!"

Katsuro gasped at Kazeko's act of defense, and nicely lowered her arm that held his own sword. "Whoa, whoa! Kazeko, chill. They're not our enemies. They're our partners."

"Partners? But, but, but, Katsuro-san, I just saw them in the woods! I bet one of them threw that coconut at me!"

Katsuro smiled at her. "You don't need to fear them."

"Why didn't you told me there were more of you? Katsuro-san, I'm still new to this thing of being a fruit kunoichi."

The two ninjas were now in front of Katsuro, Mari and Kazeko. The pink kunoichi hid behind Katsuro, afraid of the ninjas.

"Don't let them see me, Katsuro-san." Whispered Kazeko to his ear. Katsuro chuckled.

"Welcome back, fruit ninjas." Greeted Mari, who also chuckled. "We just got a new recruit, and she's, well... uneasy right now."

"Uneasy?" Laughed the blonde ninja. "That pink girl almost fainted when I saw her. Who is she? And why was the wind wild when she was weirdly scared of me?"

Kazeko gasped. The blonde ninja took notice of her curse.

"The girl has a secret that only we and Sensei can keep. And if you want to know, you cannot spread it to the unknown." Continued Mari.

"Fruit ninjas never keep secrets from one another." Said the other ninja, who was a chubby guy called Nobu.

"She revealed her secret to us." Said Katsuro, then turned to Kazeko, who had her back turned to them. He rested his hands on her shoulders for comfort. "Hey, Kazeko, you shouldn't fear them. They're friendly. You can trust them."

"Katsuro-san, I can't do this. I trust you, Mari and Sensei only. I don't even know those two. I barely saw them back in the woods."

Katsuro found it difficult. He felt Kazeko shivering, her skin was cold. Mari also noticed her state of nervousness and decided to help.

"I guess our new partner, Kazeko Sakurano, is being nervous."

The two ninjas sighed.

"Yeah, right. And then she'll pass out like she almost did."

_Inside the dojo..._

"Kazeko-chan, are you ready for another important lesson?"

"_Hai_."

"Good." Mari smiled. "Listen, you've been very nervous and scared lately, but that will be over. Just as you try to control your curse, I will help you control your emotional state."

"How? For me, that's nearly impossible."

"Not anymore. Sensei taught us a powerful ninja technique, and that is meditation. It's away of balancing your physical and mental energy, ridding off negativity and finding inner peace. Katsuro and I will personally teach you the basics."

Kazeko smiled. "I know that, but thanks, anyway."

"You're welcome. Now, you just need to sit down and start by clearing your mind."

Kazeko sat down, crossing her legs monk-style. Mari sat in front of her.

"Okay. So I'm guessing I should close my eyes."

"_Hai_. Just take a deep breath and let everything flow together. Tranquility should be taking over."

Kazeko took in some air, but when she breathed it out, it was a shaky breath. She opened her eyes to Mari, who just smiled.

"Relax, kid. I know you can be stronger than your curse."

"If I could be that strong I wouldn't be afraid of it, Mari. It's too difficult to win this hard battle. There's almost no remedy to save me from this life challenge."

"Kazeko..."

Mari went close to her and held her hand. Kazeko was confused at first, but then spoke no words when Mari led her hand to her chest.

The pink kunoichi felt her beating heart, and closed her eyes, focusing on its soft, thumping sound. She let out a peaceful sigh.

"You're doing great, Kazeko. Bond your heart with this moment. Let your bad energies fly away in the wind."

Just as Mari said, Kazeko was doing good with her meditation that even her powers started working along with her. But this time the wind blew around them nicely.

With every breath Kazeko took in, the wind responded by blowing to one direction. When she took it out, the wind blew towards the other.

_"This feels so nice... and I'm finally learning how to control my power! For the first time in my entire life, I can use my power even more without feeling a bad emotion."_

Mari was amazed by Kazeko's wind powers, and quietly stood up and walked backwards, leaving Kazeko to meditate on her own.

"Mari, this is amazing! Can you believe I can use my power now?"

When she opened her eyes, Mari was gone.

"Mari?"

Kazeko stood up and looked around. Then she looked down at her hands.

"Finally..."

She saw a small mess of fruit somewhere. A smile was formed on her lips. She stood on her position to use her powers for the first time.

_"Kaze, idaina kaze. Watashi ni chikara o kashite."_

Kazeko performed some hand movements whilst manipulating the wind. She made the wind blow in between her hands in a circle. Then she pushed it all with her right hand towards the pile of fruit.

The wind made some of the fruits float up and to her. Kazeko caught up a red apple and bit it. She loved its wonderful taste. Her powers were so fun to use that she played with the wind.

Some fresh leaves flew around, and Kazeko chased them, laughing as she ran. After that, she made the wind blow everywhere, manipulating its direction with her hands.

The four fruit ninjas had their own looks when they entered the dojo. Katsuro was the most surprised among them, he stood in front of the three, with his eyes focused on Kazeko.

The wind blew harder around them. Kazeko was reaching a high level of her power.

"Kazeko!"

She gasped at Katsuro's call, and all of her power reversed, returning to her. The fruits that still floated up exploded and fell to the ground. All the wind she summoned exploded out once it all came back to her hands. Kazeko fell to the ground afterwards.

Katsuro ran to see her and helped her up.

"Kazeko... Kazeko, are you alright?"

Kazeko opened her eyes to him and smiled. "Yeah. That was wonderful. You should've seen that, Katsuro-san! I can finally control my power thanks to what Mari taught me."

"You impressed us, Kazeko-chan. I knew you could do it. I now believe in you." Said Mari proudly.

Kazeko's response was a hug.

"Thank you, Mari. Thank you so much for helping me."

"Hey, it's no problem."

They undid the hug, and Kazeko turned to see her secret crush while the rest just walked off. They both smiled at each other.

"Thank you for bringing me here in the first place, Katsuro-san. I owe you so much."

"There's no need to do that. And hey, just call me Katsuro."

Kazeko chuckled and blushed so badly. "Okay, Katsuro."

They laughed and hugged. There's when Katsuro noticed her hair had more black stripes.

"Kazeko, your hair."

"What's wrong?"

They withdrew from each other, and Katsuro took a good look at her hair.

"When you passed out there was only a thin black stripe, now it's growing."

"Katsuro, don't say that! If it's about my curse then I'll be afraid, and I don't want to feel like that."

She felt like hyperventilating, but Katsuro did his best to calm her down.

"Kazeko, please calm down. Don't breathe like that."

He took her in for a hug. Kazeko held on for dear life. She felt like her life and safety depended on Katsuro. He stroked her pink hair gingerly as she tried to stay calm in his arms. His warmth filled her with tranquility that she almost fell asleep as he embraced her.

"Katsuro..."

"Hmm?"

"You can let go of me now."

"Oh! Uh, sure."

They undid the hug, staring at each other. "You okay?" Katsuro asked.

"Yeah, just tired. Thanks for comforting me, Katsuro."

"No problem. Friends look out for each other. Remember that."

Kazeko nodded.

_Later that night..._

Kazeko felt so happy after that. She could still feel Katsuro hugging her, and that was good for her because that way she was more able to control her curse.

For a moment she forgot about it, and her tiredness was so much that she fell asleep easily.

Kazeko had such a nice sleep that night, and the only thing she thought of was Katsuro.


	9. That Traumatic Little Kunoichi

Chapter 9: That Traumatic Little Kunoichi

"Ha! Ugh! Hyah!"

Slice after slice, Kazeko kept honing her skills just like the other ninjas. This time she was using the Shiny Red Blade, which enhanced her Critical moves.

Mari applauded every time Kazeko did a great move or a Critical. She had been watching her ever since she started training. Kazeko was very determined and relentless, and she loved her ninja training because she had all the space to perform flips, jumps, and other ninja moves. On some moments she made fruit combos and launched several shuriken to smaller fruits like the kiwifruit.

Katsuro entered the dojo with a basket of red apples for his friend, and greeted Mari.

"_Ohayō_, Katsuro." Said Mari, already noticing Katsuro without even looking back at him.

"_Ohayō_. What's going on here? Where's Kazeko?"

Mari pointed forward. Katsuro followed where she pointed, and saw Kazeko training.

"It's a good thing she's training."

"Yeah, she's doing great in there. She's impressed me with ten Criticals, fifteen combos and awesome moves. Our tips and Sensei's wisdom have led her to enhance her skills greatly."

"I see. How long she's been training like that?"

"Three hours straight, and she doesn't get tired of it."

"Wow. Now that surprises me."

"Yeah, she's still full of determination. She says ninja training is like her own life, and she doesn't want to stop."

Kazeko soon saw Katsuro and Mari, and waved a hand. Katsuro waved back. Later on she continued with her training.

"Did she had any more signs of her curse?"

"Fortunately no. All she's done is this. Once she woke up she said she just wanted to train."

"That's good. But we wouldn't want her to be worn out too much."

"I've been thinking the same thing, but either way, she says this is the way a Sakurano trains, which I still can't understand."

"She's different, Mari. But even with that I still like her."

"For a fruit kunoichi, Kazeko's great."

After performing a flip, Kazeko sliced a pineapple and ran to chop more fruit that jumped up. Katsuro smiled. He also admired the way Kazeko progressed thanks to his helpful information and Sensei's skills.

An orange came flying at him, hitting him in the guts. Mari's eyes grew big when she saw that, and a caring hand helped Katsuro, avoiding an awful fall. However, the apples fell off the basket and bounced on the floor.

"Katsuro, _daijōbu_?"

Kazeko nicely helped him up, her grip on his hand was strong.

"Yeah, thanks a lot, Kazeko."

"You're most welcome."

They all looked down, and saw the apples scattered everywhere.

"Were those for me?"

Katsuro sighed. "Sorry about that. If you like, I can get you some new, fresher apples."

"No, no. There's no need for that, Katsuro. It's alright. I'll just pick these and give them a nice wash. They'll be fine like that." Said Kazeko as she picked the apples and placed them back in the basket."

When Katsuro was about to give her another apple, their hands accidentally touched. And just that made Kazeko's heart burst into acceleration. Katsuro had almost the same feeling as her, only that it was easier for him to hide said feeling.

Kazeko blushed. "Sorry. You can keep that one if you like."

"Ahem! Kazeko-chan, I think we should continue with your training." Interrupted Mari in a nice way.

"Oh! _Hai_, Mari."

Kazeko gave Katsuro one quick smile before walking towards Mari.

"This time you'll use another blade. Hopefully you'll find it easier to slice fruit with the Bamboo Shoot."

"Why?"

"You'll find out once you start."

Kazeko chuckled. "I like surprises."

...

Kazeko's training had been going very well. She loved it when she realized fruits were bigger with the Bamboo Shoot blade. This made it easier for Kazeko to slice fruit.

As training continued, Kazeko noticed a dark shade of a person, similar to that of her dreams, walking by. Her senses sharpened.

_"Oh my sakura, a samurai!"_

Kazeko took three shuriken and threw them all at once. She almost hit the subject with each, but she never reached to harm him. When she realized it was just Katsuro, she panicked, and never blinked on that certain moment.

"Kazeko-chan, is everything okay?"

Both ninjas got worried, and went to help her.

"She doesn't blink. Kazeko, say something."

"You... you're not one of them." She finally spoke.

Katsuro raised an eyebrow. "Kazeko, are you alright?"

Mari then took over. "I think you should stop for today, Kazeko-chan. Too much training just got you worn out."

"No, I can keep up, Mari. I just thought Katsuro was a samurai. I must've been daydreaming."

"Daydreams don't usually happen like that, or do they?"

"I don't know, but I'm so sorry about that. I never intended to hurt you."

"Hey, no worries. I'm okay."

"Katsuro, are you sure?"

"_Hai_." He nodded.

"We should clean this mess up. There's more to do in the future."

"Hey, why don't you let me take care of it like the last time?"

"Well, it's a big mess. Are you sure you can clean the entire dojo all by yourself once again?"

Kazeko smiled with confidence. "Absolutely."

"Alright. We'll be out in a few hours. Make sure not to be too long. We're having dinner outside."

"Okay."

Kazeko was left alone after that. When she was sure she was in the clear, she picked up the sword she was recently using, and sliced away some more fruit.

...

After more hours of rough ninja training, Kazeko fell asleep beside a ginormous mess of sliced fruit. She never cleaned the dojo like she said. Her suit was stained with lots of fruit juice, her hair was filthy, and the way she laid down seemed comfortable for her. She didn't wanted to wake up.

A happy Mari entered the dojo, chewing a wild strawberry. When she saw Kazeko and the fruit mess, her eyes widened.

"Kazeko-chan?"

Kazeko let out a moan. She had such a nice sleep, and already decided to wake up. There's when Mari noticed she had worn herself out a lot. Just with the look of her eyes made Mari think she was training for too long. Either way, Mari helped her sit up.

"Kazeko-chan! You've worn yourself out too much, didn't you?"

"Yeah." Panted Kazeko. "Wait... Oh my gosh, Mari, I'm so sorry! I just fell asleep after all that time training hard."

"Kazeko-chan..." Mari sighed, showing concern. "...you're getting yourself exhausted lately. I mean, I understand how you feel about ninja training, but now look at yourself. Your eyes are tired, your hair is messed up, and..." Then she sniffed. "...you smell like fruit punch."

"Really?" Kazeko asked and sniffed her arm. "My, I do smell like fruit."

They both chuckled at that. Mari then helped Kazeko up to her feet.

"Come on, you'll need some things, like, a nice bath."

"Thanks. By the way, do you guys have succulent meat sushi around this place? I'm starving."

"Believe me, Kazeko-chan, we're all hungry here."

_Later..._

After a nice bath, Mari fixed Kazeko's wet hair with a brush. This time she was wearing a black kimono Mari bought her. She thought it perfectly fit her, and it was her personal favorite.

"So, I'm guessing everyone's out for dinner."

"Yup. Everyone's been out ever since we left you alone."

"Wow. So I missed out because I've been here for hours."

"Yeah. But you never cleaned the dojo like you said."

Kazeko had a look of guilt. Mari was right.

"Don't worry, I'm sure the others took care of that before leaving."

"Will I be punished for that?"

Mari had the urge to laugh. Kazeko was being naive.

She then thought whether to ask Kazeko things about her clan or not. She was concerned about Kazeko's habit of training for a long period of time, and didn't wanted her to take the highest risk of getting herself exhausted too much.

"Kazeko-chan, may I ask why the Sakurano trained for every single hour just like you?"

"The whole clan did that every day, together. The Sakurano ninjas sought to be perfect above anything. Only my parents held the secrets of being a perfect ninja. Nobody knew why, not even me, their daughter."

Kazeko's face saddened by just remembering her parents.

"Kazeko-chan, was there any more survivors from the attack? Someone else you knew?"

"No, there was just me. Everybody's been taken by the samurai."

The thought of it all made her feel a burning rage in her heart.

"Just thinking about it makes me want to punch them where it hurts the most!"

"Kazeko-chan, calm down. Your curse..."

"That was my family, Mari! But because of those guys I've lost them. And if something happens to my parents... I..."

Kazeko took Mari in a hug, not wishing to let her curse take over, even though she was about to bust in tears.

"I'm sorry, Mari. I'm sorry about that."

"Kazeko-chan, there's no need to apologize. Just don't let that horrible curse take over, okay?"

Kazeko sniffed. "_Hai_."

They separated from each other, allowing Mari to take a better look at her friend.

"You look beautiful in that kimono. It fits you so well."

"Thanks. That's what I've been thinking all this time."

In a perfect timing, Kazeko's stomach growled.

Mari fixed Kazeko's hair a bit more. "I think we should get straight to dinner."

"_Hai_. I was thinking exactly the same."

...

The two ninja girls walked through a nice village. The night was still young, and there was light and color everywhere as the villagers paced by. It was all peaceful according to Kazeko's thoughts of it.

"So, where shall we eat? My stomach growls so hard that it begs me to give it at least a bite of something."

"Don't worry, we're getting close. Just a few more shops and we're there."

A barrel full of fruit collapsed in front of the girls. This surprised them a little, and Kazeko looked over to find the one responsible for that. It turns out that she saw a tall guy with almost the same samurai outfit as the man she saw in her dreams.

_"Samurai! Kazeko, attack him!"_

The young kunoichi jumped over the pile of fruit and followed the tall subject.

"Kazeko, what are you...?"

Kazeko jumped up a barrel and leaped to the person, but ended hitting the stranger and falling to the ground. There's when the stranger finally stops, and Kazeko stood up, despite her pains.

"_停止、侍_!" (_Teishi, samurai!_ (Stop, samurai!)) "In the name of the Sakurano, be extinguished!"

"Have you gone crazy, pinky?" Said the stranger, looking down at Kazeko. "Watch where you go, and get down from that cloud."

"Eh?" Kazeko asked, confused about what happened. "Wait, you're not a...? He's not a...?"

Kazeko took a better look at him. He wasn't wearing a samurai outfit, just regular civillian clothes. The stranger huffed and walked away, and the people there gave Kazeko such odd looks. Some were murmuring questions to one another...

_"Who is she?"_

_"Since when a samurai came to attack us? That pink-haired girl is being delusional."_

_"Is she even from around here? I see a mark in her arm."_

Kazeko backed off slowly. She was afraid of the villagers.

_"What did I do?"_

She slightly bumped back-to-back with someone else, and cringed a little before she noticed it was just Mari, who gave her one serious stare.

"Kazeko-chan, what was that about? You just ran into a stranger, screamed out that he was a "samurai", and now everybody will think you're the problem around the village."

"Mari, I'm no problem to anybody here. I just thought the guy was a..."

Kazeko sighed and sat on her legs.

"I swear, Mari, I saw one of them. Did anybody saw that?"

"Nobody saw anything, Kazeko-chan. You're just having a little rough issue."

Kazeko looked up at Mari. "What kind of issue exactly?"

"You're having traumas about your past. Whenever you mention anything related to that, you get depressed, and now you think you saw your worst enemy, but actually there's nothing like a samurai around here."

"Are you sure that's what's happening to me?"

"A hundred percent. You get the nerve of attacking your enemy, but then you realize there's no foes anywhere. You seriously need to relax, Kazeko-chan. Do it for yourself, and avoid being so traumatic. Otherwise people will think you're acting crazy."

Kazeko stood up. "It's not easy to get over with that, Mari."

"I know how you feel. Just, try not to think about it."

They kept walking, and Mari thought of something to distract Kazeko from her traumas. She then had something popping up in her mind.

"Look, it's Katsuro!"

Kazeko gasped, looking everywhere. "Where?!"

Mari laughed so bad that her guts hurt. The way Kazeko reacted was too funny, and her cheeks were as red as a cherry.

Kazeko slightly pushed Mari. "Mari, you tricked me! Now I'll be nervous!"

"Sorry, but... your face... is too funny!" She panted out in laughter.

Kazeko crossed her arms. She was still blushing by just thinking about Katsuro.

...

"Ah, we're finally here."

At long last, they arrived at a small food shop and went in. They saw the rest of their partners having a nice dinner.

"Stay there, Kazeko-chan. I'll buy your meat sushi."

Kazeko looked over at her. "With what money exactly?"

Mari pulled out a small bag and uncovered what was inside.

"Starfruit?"

"Five thousand starfruit, to be precise. Wait here, okay?"

Kazeko just nodded.

She looked around the shop. It was just a small, humble restaurant. She loved the scent of food that lingered in the air. The scent made her feel just like back in her homeland.

"Hey, Kazeko."

Her eyes focused on Katsuro. He was looking at her.

"Oh! Hi, Katsuro. Um... I..."

"Come, have a seat."

Her nerves all worked up. She slowly paced, not wanting to look at him, until she finally sat down beside him. She couldn't hold on to her nervousness. She always tried not to stand close to him. Her stomach growled louder just as Katsuro ate his meal.

"Wow. Somebody's starving."

Kazeko chuckled nervously. "No worries, I'm getting meat sushi tonight."

They looked away from each other. Kazeko thought it was such an awkward thing, and remained silent.

"Would you like some _takoyaki_?"

He passed over a small bowl of octopus dumplings to Kazeko. Her eyes widened. She looked down at the food, then at Katsuro, then back at the food. She didn't knew what to do.

"Katsuro, forgive me if I say something rude, but..."

"You can't say no to these, Kazeko. Grab some. I can't let you starve."

"Um... okay."

Kazeko nervously held out her hand to grab a dumpling, but Katsuro stopped her, and gave her a pair of chopsticks to pick it up. Kazeko giggled nervously, and took the dumpling with the chopsticks. Then she chewed a bite.

"Hmm... it's good. It's really good. Thanks, Katsuro."

"You're welcome." He said with a sweet smile.

The blonde ninja looked at Kazeko with a strange look. He didn't liked Kazeko that much, he thought she was weird, and disliked the way she behaved whenever she was with Katsuro.

"Why you look at the weirdo. Just who invited this kid? She's definitely not our type."

Kazeko got enraged at his words. It was so much that she reluctantly dropped the chopsticks and placed a foot over the table, facing the ninja.

"Well, listen up, mister! You can say I'm not your type, but you don't even know what I've been through!"

Mari, who already had Kazeko's dinner in hand, saw her arguing with the blonde ninja. "Kazeko-chan..."

"I've been living in blurs for ten years after my clan was attacked and my home was destroyed!"

Katsuro was surprised, yet afraid of her next move. "Uh... Kazeko..."

"And now here I am, getting criticism from such a subject like you!"

"Kazeko-chan, get a hold of yourself!"

They looked deep into each other's eyes. Kazeko disliked the guy too much that she wanted to challenge him on a fight.

"Whoa, guys! Take it nice and easy. This isn't a place for clobbering." Said a random subject who worked there.

Kazeko sighed and sat back down. She watched as the blonde ninja chewed an apple and blinked an eye at her, which angered her.

"Let's settle something, pinky. Tomorrow at dawn, you will prove that you're truly one of our kind by challenging me to a duel."

"Your wish will be fulfilled. The challenge will be made."

With that said, Kazeko went back to eat, already calmed from her angers. But she knew she had a duel to attend with this blonde ninja, which she never knew his name.

She knew she had to rely on her skills to win the upcoming battle.


	10. The Duel, Encounter With Darkness

Chapter 10: The Duel, Encounter With Darkness

On a pretty uneventful morning, two fruit ninja rivals prepared themselves for the duel that was about to take place out of the dojo.

Kazeko always thought the blonde ninja was her rival because of what he said about her. She couldn't endure that too much, especially since she was now partners with him. Rivalry was born between them, but the questions was... would it last?

...

Just as the blonde ninja got himself ready, Katsuro tried to convince him to not fight against Kazeko.

"You shouldn't do this. Just because she had hard times in her past life doesn't mean she can't be one of us."

"The pinky tried to attack me." The blonde ninja retorted. "You saw her reaction, Katsuro."

"Kazeko reacts like that. It's how she defends herself."

"And how about the time she almost passed out in front of me?"

"You got her nervous. She's got a curse that affects her emotions."

"Wait, she's cursed? Why?"

"I don't really know why, but she said it's eternal. We've got to be careful with her emotions. We can't make her feel any kind of negativity."

"She just had it when she got angry at me. Either way, she said the challenge will be set, so I'm getting this over with."

"You can't fight her. She's barely starting up, and she's got dangerous powers. Don't provoke her."

"I won't. All I want is to see that she's one of us by spirit."

"Be careful. Kazeko's too determined."

The blonde ninja huffed. "That totally doesn't make any sense. Just because she's too determined doesn't make her a fruit kunoichi."

"That's what you think. She's been training hard day and night, and her skills are improving even more than the first time I saw her. You just haven't seen her."

"Really? I'll see what she's got."

...

Mari watched Kazeko as she was preparing herself for the morning duel. She felt like Kazeko didn't really had to fight. She thought that wasn't the best way to solve a problem.

"Kazeko-chan, you know you can't challenge one of us."

"It's what he wished, Mari. And I really can't stand to what he said about me. He didn't had to criticize me for who I am or where I was from."

Kazeko wore her gloves and used a sliced strawberry to brighten her lips.

"I understand, but fighting isn't the best solution. We're all partners, not enemies."

Kazeko sighed. "I know, Mari. But because of him, now it's difficult to be compassionate. I'm truly sorry."

Once she was done, Kazeko walked off.

...

The cold morning breeze ticked Kazeko's skin as she walked out of the dojo. The morning view was wonderful. The sun was barely hiding behind the great mountains, giving the sky a nice combination of colors. The cherry blossom trees were still fresh, and the flowers bloomed with just the touch of the rising sunlight.

Kazeko took that time to relax before the duel, doing some breathing exercises. The calm scenery was too good for her that it almost reminded her of a view of her entire homeland from the highest mountain at the former Sakurano Prefecture.

"This feels just like home. Oh, how I miss it."

She almost cried, but stopped herself and decided to let it go by taking a deeper breath.

"Okay, blonde guy. I'm here, and I challenge you to a duel."

Out of nowhere appeared Kazeko's opponent.

"It's about time you came up. I've been expecting you, pinky."

"My name is Kazeko Sakurano, so please don't call me pinky just because I possess the color."

"I don't care about your name, or your color. All I want from you is to prove that you're truly one of us."

"Believe me, I'll do everything in my power to show you what you want to see."

"Nonsense. Just because you're determined doesn't make you a fruit kunoichi."

"Oh yeah? Then what do you suggest? Only Sensei knows what it takes to be a master at this."

"I know that. But you're too weak to become one."

That provoked Kazeko to attack him. She ran at him with such anger and almost punched him, but he held her arm and stared at her deeply.

"You're also too slow, pinky."

Using all his strength, he threw her behind him, but Kazeko used that time to avoid hitting the ground by flipping. She landed perfectly and fixed her hair.

"Would you please stop calling me that? It's very... um... how would you call something really stupid?"

"Idiotic?"

"Yeah, that."

Again, Kazeko charged at the blonde ninja, but he blocked her attacks. None of them seemed to harm each other as they attempted to do so. They deflected each other's moves over and over as they moved forward and back. Sometimes they had to jump backwards to avoid major attacks like kicks.

They separated from each other, allowing one another to take a moment to breathe. Kazeko panted hard, the guy was pretty tough for her to fight.

"Wow. Is that seriously all you got? I thought you'd show me all of your skills. But it appears that you're just a little weakling."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

Now with a burning fury, Kazeko lunged at him. But yet again, he blocked her attack and threw her behind him. This time Kazeko wasn't very aware of his actions, and hit the ground face-first.

"Admit it already, pinky. You're not one of us."

Her rage was too much that the wind reacted as an effect caused by her negative emotions. The tattoo in her arm burned a little as her emotions summoned it.

"Don't provoke me, apple head. I'm more powerful than anyone else here."

The fight continued, this time the wind was witnessing the duel. The sky afterwards summoned dark clouds that called upon a wind storm.

Each other's attacks were stronger, but yet they still blocked every move. That was until Kazeko accidentally kicked him in the arm. Her rage got her almost out of control, but regained it when she hit him, and felt scared.

"Now you've done it, pinky!"

The ninja ran at her, much to her fears. But fortunately, Kazeko was saved from the ninja's next strike. It turn out that Sensei arrived just in time to save Kazeko from major injuries.

When her emotions calmed down, the clouds vanished, and the sky became blue again. The rest of the fruit ninjas came out to see what happened.

"Kazeko-chan, what's going on here?"

"Mari, I, he almost got me."

"Wha- She kicked me!"

"He provoked me! In fact this whole thing was his idea! He wanted me to challenge him!"

"Enough!"

Everyone fell to silence as Sensei spoke. He wasn't very moody once he took notice of the situation.

"Fighting against each other is beneath one's dignity. All of you were born to become masters, not enemies."

"He criticized me for who I am and where I came from. That's not right on a fruit ninja."

"I've heard enough, Sakurano-san." He then looked at the blonde ninja, then back at Kazeko. "Both of you are punished."

Kazeko wanted to cry. "What?"

Katsuro held Kazeko nicely by her arms, defending her. "You can't punish her. Kazeko wasn't doing anything wrong. She was just defending herself."

Kazeko breathed out, not wanting to save herself from something she did. "No, Katsuro. I caused this. I challenged him to a duel in the first place. Everything that happened here is my fault, so I'll take the highest punishment."

"Kazeko-chan."

"Mari, I have to accept and face the consequences, no matter how huge they might be."

Kazeko handed Sensei her sheathed sword.

"I won't work as a fruit kunoichi anymore. And for my ultimate dishonor, I'm leaving this place."

"Kazeko-chan! You can't just give up like that! You barely started doing this!"

"I decided to take this as my punishment. And I'm not going back. I'm sorry."

Kazeko turned heels and walked, her head down and tears wanting to come out.

...

The forest was silent and lonely just like Kazeko. She never spoke a word, just walked without looking back. But just as she walked, she saw a red apple lying on the ground.

She took that apple in her hands and saw a small note engraved around it.

_"Please come back._

_-Katsuro & Mari"_

Tears weeped down her eyes. She stood looking at the apple, sighed and threw it behind her back, then kept walking.

_"I'm not going back... ever. I'm sure I'll find a better place to hide, one place where I can just... be alone."_

After a moment of holding back her sorrow, Kazeko finally let it out and cried.

_"Pain..."_

Kazeko heard a strange voice around her, and stopped crying. "What?"

_"Guilt... loneliness... tragedy..."_

Kazeko sensed trouble, and stood in her fighting stance.

"SHOW YOURSELF!"

_"Don't be afraid, Sakurano. I am just one old friend of yours. Well... one very old friend."_

In front of Kazeko floated a dark mist that created the figure of a tall man. The man wore a long black hooded suit. Nothing about him was shown except his glowing eyes and his long, elderly white hair.

Kazeko felt a big strike of fear in her heart. She knew this man since she was little. She was scared to know he already found her.

"Hello, Kazeko." Said the Dark Sorcerer with such a sinister voice that sent a chill down Kazeko's spine. What he first noticed was the growing black spots in Kazeko's hair. "I see your curse has worked very well in your body."

"All I wish for is to get rid of it. It kills me to possess all this power. I just want to be a normal girl."

"Being normal is pathetic and weak. People choose to have that miserable kind of life, and for what? For those tiny things they call love, peace and harmony? Ha! Power is bigger than anything that could exist in this world."

"Well, let me tell you something, Dark Sorcerer! My life was perfect when I was a normal kid until YOU came, threatened my clan, and ended up setting the curse on me! Now I'm emotionally stuck because of you!"

"Shush, kid. Your words are irritating me. And your rage strengthens the intensification of your curse."

"What?"

Another small spot of her hair turned black. The sorcerer was right. Her rage made her curse grow more within her.

"I believe you will never be strong enough, Sakurano. Because when the curse takes over... you will be forced to stand in the darkness until your last beat."

"Huh?"

"However, there is one chance to save you from those eight tragic days of your death."

"What are you talking about?!"

The Dark Sorcerer stood very close to her, scaring the living nerves out of her.

"Join the Samurai Lord, and you will be spared from death. My darkest spell will save your life and bring you immortality."

Kazeko cried a little. She didn't wanted that to happen to her. She preferred to resist the strongest period of her curse and not to become evil.

"Choose wisely, Sakurano. Your time is counting down."

"No... I rather DIE than joining him!"

"Always with the clan, aren't you?"

"I'll stand with my clan as long as I'm alive and kicking."

"Oh, dearest Sakurano. Believe me... that won't last too long."

Kazeko's eyes widened with terror. She knew what was coming.

_"Katsuro, please save me from this!"_

...

"I can't believe she quit. Kazeko never quits. She's too determined to get what she wants, she can't give up too easily."

"But she did, Mari. She still thinks..."

Katsuro had a strange feeling that made him stop talking. He physically felt strange.

"Katsuro, what's wrong?"

He looked at Mari. "She's in trouble."

Immediately they ran out to look for Kazeko.

...

Kazeko was rendered unconscious after the evil wizard attacked her with black energy, intensifying her curse even more.

"I will let you live, Sakurano... but not for much longer."

"Kazeko-chan!"

The Dark Sorcerer afterwards disappeared in black mist before Katsuro and Mari showed up.

"Oh my goodness, Kazeko-chan!"

The sight of Kazeko lying on the ground unconscious alerted them. They knew something had happened to her.

"Is she alright?"

"Hold it..."

Mari eyed her carefully. _"Come on, Kazeko-chan, breathe." _

It didn't took long for Kazeko to breathe. With just seeing her chest slowly going up and down, Katsuro and Mari knew she was still alive.

Katsuro felt her cheeks. Kazeko's skin was frozen.

"She's ice cold. We should take her back. She's not okay, I can feel it."

"But Katsuro, she said she'd never return."

"I don't care about that, Mari. Kazeko's my friend, and she needs me."

"You're right."

He carried her bridal style, pulling her to his chest. He somehow had to keep her warm. He and Mari made their way back to the dojo, not noticing the dark mist behind them.

The Dark Sorcerer had seen everything. He knew Kazeko wasn't alone after all, and always depended on the fruit ninjas whenever she needed help.

"Fruit ninjas... they must be eliminated."

* * *

><p>Author's note<p>

It's done!

Man, I wish I knew the blonde ninja's name. If you guys know his name, can you tell me through your reviews? I know there are four fruit ninjas, but I barely know the names of three. :(

It's okay if you don't know. I would like to know your thoughts about this chapter. Thanks for reading! :D


	11. The Best Of Rivals

Chapter 11: The Best Of Rivals

Kazeko was seen sleeping comfortably, covered by three sheets. She was still cold due to her curse growing within her. The sheets kept her warm and cozy.

A door slid aside, making no noises at all. Mari came in to see her asleep friend with a cup of chamomile tea in hand. She dropped the cup on the bedside table and felt Kazeko's forehead. Still very cold.

She sighed. "Kazeko-chan..."

In a second, Kazeko began to stir and open her eyes. "...Mari?"

"Kazeko-chan, thank goodness you're awake! Are you okay? We've been so worried about you."

"I don't... feel so good. It's cold and breezy around here. Is there a fireplace?"

Mari covered Kazeko with the sheets. "You're freezing. But don't worry, some tea shall warm you up. Here."

Kazeko accepted the cup of tea and drank a sip. A smile was formed in her face.

"I like this tea, and I sort of recognize this flavor. What is it?"

"Chamomile tea with some fresh anise. Why?"

"Are you kidding me? I love this tea!"

Kazeko carefully drank some more tea, enjoying its sweet flavor. The warmth of the tea filled her in the inside, making her feel much better. Once she was done, she breathed out.

"I feel much better now. _Arigatō_, Mari."

"You're welcome."

Kazeko remained silent until she then asked something... She didn't knew how she got there.

"Mari, what just happened? I can't remember anything. And... where are we?"

"I have not a clue about what happened. Katsuro and I found you lying unconscious in the woods, and we brought you back to the village."

"Did anything else happened?"

"Just that."

Mari then noticed the black spots in Kazeko's hair.

"Kazeko-chan, your hair!"

Kazeko gasped, checking on her hair. She also noticed more black spots. "The curse! It's growing more! It was that stupid Dark Sorcerer! I saw him and..."

Kazeko remained silent when she finally remembered what happened.

_"He made the curse grow faster. Now I don't know what to do." _

"Kazeko-chan, who's this Dark Sorcerer? Is he somehow involved with what's happening to you?"

"_Hai_. He's the one who set the curse on me when I was born. He attacked me, and intensified the curse on me."

"We have to face this guy and show him some manners! Because of him controlling your curse now you're getting sick."

"You can't beat him. Even if you guys fight him there's no way to reverse my curse. It's eternal."

"There has to be a way, Kazeko-chan. Have hope. Miracles can happen."

"Mari..."

"Come on, Kazeko-chan. What happened to all that determination you once had? What happened to the Kazeko I met and befriended? That Kazeko who is always up to get what she wants. Please, cheer up. It's the only way your curse won't affect you."

Kazeko just breathed and looked away from Mari.

"I guess we have some ninja training today. Care to join us?"

Kazeko never responded.

"You know, there's more meat sushi at the shop we went last night. Are you hungry?"

Again, Kazeko never responded. Mari sighed and thought of something else.

"Katsuro's coming. He's worried about you."

Mari thought Kazeko would react to that, but instead she never said a word. She was too depressed when she realized her curse was slowly intensifying in her body.

"Kazeko-chan, please say something. You can't just sit there and be silent."

"Mari, I'm so sorry, but I just can't get rid of the thought of my curse growing. I don't want to imagine what could happen if the strongest period takes over my body. I don't want to become evil and attack you guys!"

Mari hugged Kazeko. "Hey, that's not going to happen. Calm down."

They quickly separated from each other.

"You should rest some more. The rest of us have much training to do, so I'll be seeing you later."

"Mari, I don't want to be alone. It scares me, and besides Katsuro, you're the only one I can talk to."

"I won't be out for too long. Just a bit of training and I'll be back."

"Okay. Good luck to all of you guys."

Mari waved goodbye and slid the door closed, leaving Kazeko to rest.

Kazeko laid on her side, still stuck with the thoughts of her growing curse. Thoughts that made her cry.

_Later that afternoon..._

Kazeko woke up once she felt the sunlight hitting her eyes. It was too bright that it bothered her.

"Ah! The sun is in my eyes!"

She rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times to clear her sight. Once she did this, she realized she wasn't in that cozy bed from before. She was lying on a cold, grassy spot, and saw many bamboo sticks and trees everywhere.

"What the...?!"

What she first sensed was danger, so she prepared herself for a fight. And just as she looked around, she saw a particular fruit ninja sharpening his weapon with a rock. His presence and the sharp sounds of the blade startled her.

"Hello again, Sakurano. I bet you had a nice rest."

Kazeko became angry at her rival, and stood on her fighting stance. "I don't have enough strength for another duel, blondie."

He casually dropped his weapon and walked towards Kazeko with a smile. "Name's Han. _始めまして_." (_Hajimemashite_. (Nice to meet you.))

**_"Yup. That's Han, my very first rival. I never got along with him that much because I disliked what he said about me. He's the one who didn't knew a thing about me."_**

"Oh, so now's the time you finally decided to introduce yourself. Look, we're both punished, so I'm not supposed to see you today. If you excuse me, _sayōnara_."

"Katsuro has told me what he knows about you, one being a curse you possess. It intrigues me to know more, like, where are you from?"

_**"Well... anything except my curse."**_

Kazeko looked back at Han. "Why are you so intrigued to know, _Han_?" She asked, saying his name with a deep, annoyed tone of voice. She placed her hands on her hips.

"We can't keep secrets from each other, remember?"

"Ha! I already revealed mine. I ain't hiding anything else!"

Kazeko then sneezed. She was feeling sick.

"_Sumimasen_, this sickness is killing me. Now, I think I should go back to the village."

"You can't. Neither do I. Sensei told me to give you this."

He handed her a scroll. Kazeko reluctantly took it and opened it up.

"As part of the punishment, the punished members shall be destined to stay 40 days inside the great forest of Fruitasia, where they will learn to survive and RESPECT EACH OTHER?!" Kazeko read with huge eyes, yet she thought it was a trick. "Is this a trick?!"

"That's what Sensei said. So you're coming with me, no matter what."

"Like heck I'll go with you! Right now I'm going through some rough times of my life, so I'm staying here and that's it!"

...

Just as the two punished ninjas walked through the woods, Kazeko felt so much anger that the wind howled strongly around them.

"Get your filthy hand off my arm! I'm a fine Sakurano Kunoichi, so I deserve respect!"

"You're really starting to annoy me, pinky."

"Stop calling me that!"

She finally escaped from his grip and stared at him furiously.

"The next time you call me that, I swear I... I..."

Kazeko was stuck at words. She didn't knew what to say to scare Han, who instead laughed at Kazeko's acts.

"Hahaha! You're too silly, Sakurano. Now come on."

"I'm not moving from this spot, Han."

"Then I'm guessing you like the punishment."

"Huh?! That duel thing was your idea just because you wanted to see if I'm a pure fruit kunoichi!"

The wind howled aggressively around them. Kazeko's anger was too much that she felt a headache and her curse worked up. She massaged her head with both hands, trying to rid the pain away.

"Ah! Stupid curse. Stupid sorcerer. Stupid life." She groaned.

Han took notice of Kazeko's pains and tried to help. "Hey, are you okay?"

Kazeko backed off. "No, I'm not okay. And less when someone like you asks that."

She pushed him aside, huffed and walked away. This made Han cross his hands.

"Just who does she think she is?"

With no more words spoken, he followed her.

...

"Do you even know where you're going?"

"Nope. I'm just walking around randomly. Why?"

Han stood in front of Kazeko, deep serious. "This isn't a joke, Sakurano. I'm serious."

"And I don't really care. I just want to walk around until fate decides that we should be friends."

For a moment Han felt like attacking her, but decided not to. He knew Kazeko was just a kid, a stubborn one at that. She wasn't worth attacking, and less when they were stuck on a 40-days punishment.

...

The sun started to fall down. The stars were coming out. This time Kazeko tried to make surprise attacks on Han for more than a thousand times. She always failed to attack her rival. His skills were way better than hers, and she wasn't quick or smart enough just yet.

It was then when Kazeko spotted a small bucket of red apples hanging up on a tree branch. Hunger called up, and she knew what to do.

"Apple jackpot!" She exclaimed.

Both her and Han looked at the tree the bucket was hanging. It had lots of branches they could use and it was pretty tall.

"Those are mine- Aah!"

When she was about to run, she felt something on her ankle that made her fall face-first to the ground. When she looked, her ankle was stuck with a long leaf.

"What the...?"

Her attention turned to her rival, who was already climbing up the tree. She punched a fist to the ground and groaned in anger.

By the time Kazeko stood down, Han was already on the highest branch of the tree, where the bucket of apples hung.

"Apples."

He held out his hand to grab it, but something made it move away.

"Huh?"

He paced on the branch to grab it, but it moved again.

Kazeko watched everything from her position and giggled. Just like the time she tried to catch a single apple, she made it difficult for Han to catch the bucket of apples. She used her wind powers to move the bucket to the very edge of the tree branch.

"Let's see if you can get used to this, Han." She chuckled.

With just the waving of her hands, Kazeko manipulated the wind to push the bucket to the edge. The more she did, the more Han was getting annoyed.

But he noticed what made it move. Two leaves flew away in the wind. He knew it was Kazeko using her wind powers.

"Sakurano..."

He almost lost balance when the wind blew harder. It was strong enough to make the bucket fall off the branch.

Kazeko extended her arms upwards.

"Apples!"

Lots of red apples fell like raindrops. Kazeko ran around, catching some as she did so. Some fell to the ground, and some hit her in the head.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"

The last apple was sliced by a circular blade weapon. The weapon flew around like a boomerang, and back to Han.

"Huh?"

Just then, she and Han faced each other.

"Oh! That was you? Amazing! Now both of us lost one apple."

"Don't be ironic, Sakurano."

"Oh, so now it turns out I'm being sarcastic. Well, for your information..."

Just as Kazeko kept babbling, Han heard some suspicious noises.

"...just why do I have to be sarcastic?"

"Shush."

"Hey, don't shush me, blondie! I'm talking to you!"

Han had the urge to cover her lips with a hand. "Shh!"

The noises faded away. Both ninjas wondered what that was, but later shrugged it off.

"We should keep moving. It's getting dark."

"Yeah, I just noticed. But we should stay. I'm really tired of all this... thing."

"And do you think there won't be anyone else watching you?"

"Katsuro once told me to always be on my guard."

"Pfft! You're always talking about Katsuro. Are you, like, in love with him?"

Kazeko took that as an offensive comment from Han. "How dare you ask such thing?!"

Her next action was attacking him with a clenched fist, but Han stopped her by holding her fist.

"Don't you EVER say anything about him!"

He held her down and jammed her shoulders. Kazeko struggled hard to break free, but Han was too strong.

"Let me go!" She cried. "If you don't then I'll get the rest to find you!"

"Nobody can hear you, Sakurano. Now get a hold of yourself and take it easy, unless you want me to take bigger measures."

Kazeko slowly calmed down. Her anger turned to nervousness, but she reached to calm down.

"Okay, Han. Now can you let me go, please?"

Han softened his grip on her shoulders and offered her his hand, but Kazeko got up by herself.

"Now tell me, do you like Katsuro?"

Kazeko pushed Han, already annoyed. He laughed at that.

_Days later..._

Kazeko and Han still had their rivalry going on, but not as much as when they first met. They had many adventures and some little fights, but they tried their best to endure each other. They even shared apples, and sometimes fought to get them, but they started getting along.

...

By that time, Han had a special surprise for Kazeko.

"Okay, Han. Tell me, what is it? At least one hint wouldn't hurt."

Kazeko had a blindfold in her eyes. She felt a rich, fresh and round object in her hands.

"Han, what is this?"

He removed the blindfold, allowing Kazeko to see the item. It was a large bamboo bow with a strong string and three bamboo arrows. Kazeko was too impressed.

"I'm sorry, but I can't accept this. It's too much for me."

Han held out his hands to pick the bow and the arrows, but Kazeko held them closer to herself.

"But... in the other hand... I can use them. Can you teach me?"

Han smiled and nodded.

...

An arrow was shot at an apple, but never hit it.

"Focus hard, Kazeko. Just pull the arrow back at your cheek and take aim."

Kazeko did as she was told, and concentrated on hitting the apple, which was 5 feet away from them.

"Okay. I'm ready."

The way Kazeko held the bow and arrow was a little wrong. She took in a lot of air, and her aim was a little bad. Han helped her by adjusting the aim and position of the bow.

"You can't hold your breath while you aim. Relax. Become one with the weapon."

Kazeko let out all the air she took in.

"Now release it."

"Does it work?"

"Just shoot."

Kazeko released the arrow, it flew so fast and hit the exact center of the apple.

"Holy!" Exclaimed Kazeko.

She sought for the apple. The arrow was perfectly stabbed in it when she picked it up. She turned to Han with huge eyes.

"It works!"

...

Behind the trees, vivid orange eyes stared at Kazeko and Han. They were sitting under a tree, talking about their fruit ninja facts, which sometimes impressed Kazeko.

Katsuro felt some burning fury when he saw Kazeko with him. He also had some rivalry with Han, and disliked seeing him with the girl he just befriended.

...

"And if you drink some orange juice and use a bit of sunlight, you can absorb much more energy."

"Wow! How'd you know that?"

"Sensei taught us."

He then looked at Kazeko's hair, and saw another spot turning black. By that time Kazeko felt nervous around Han.

"What's with your hair?"

Kazeko flipped her hair back. "Yeah, I hate those black spots. It's all about my curse."

"I see."

_Days later, at night..._

Stars shimmered, and a small fireplace enlighted the place they stood.

Kazeko had a feeling coming up. A feeling of loneliness. Indeed she was alone her entire life, but now she felt like she needed someone beside her. She joined her hands together, thinking about Katsuro. Perhaps Mari was right. Perhaps he was worried about her. Kazeko wanted to cry.

"I brought some firewood, just in case the flames go down." Said Han, who held a bunch of firewood. He saw Kazeko crying silently, and dropped the pieces of wood.

Han sat next to her, and held a hand on her shoulder. "Sakurano, are you okay?"

Kazeko wiped off her tears. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You're crying."

"No, it's just allergies. I'm sort of allergic to plants." Kazeko lied.

"Okay. So, how does it feel to have that curse?"

"It's horrible. I'm eternally destined to control my emotions. My parents said that when I was born, the Dark Sorcerer threatened the whole clan with this curse, but ended casting it just on me."

Kazeko then showed Han the triple wind symbol that was tattooed in her arm.

"This is the mark of my curse. I'm now the child of wind, hence my name. The black spots in my hair explain the growth of my curse, and the Dark Sorcerer intensified it. Now my curse is in it's second period. It has eight periods, and the last is the worst and strongest."

"Is there a way to reverse it?"

"No. The Sakurano tried searching for a miracle to save me from the curse, but there was nothing they could do."

"So, what happened then?"

"When I was four years old my clan was attacked. Everybody's been captured and imprisoned by an army of samurai, and my homeland was destroyed by flames, but I escaped. I'm the only one who made it out of my homeland. The samurai were coming after me because of my curse, but the clan defended me. They saved me from their cruelty."

Han felt pity for Kazeko. "_ごめんなさい_." (_Gomen'nasai_. (I'm sorry.))

"Thanks. But, how do I know I can trust you with something like this, Han?"

"Just like you trust Katsuro and Mari you can trust me. I'm definitely not going to hurt you, despite our rivalry."

"Are you being honest?"

"_Hai_. You have my word, Kazeko."

Kazeko smiled. She knew she could build some friendship with her own rival. So they were the best of rivals.

Kazeko yawned, already tired to sleep, and laid on her side. "_おやすみ_." (_Oyasumi_. (Good night.))

She drifted off to a nice sleep. However, Han just laid his back on a tree and chewed an apple. He watched as Kazeko slept, and smiled. She was his best rival he's ever seen.

_Later that night..._

Now both ninjas were fully asleep. Katsuro used that time to check on Kazeko.

When he stood closer, he poked her cheek. Kazeko moaned and rolled over to Katsuro. She started sleepwalking and talking in her sleep.

"Katsuro... I'm okay. Don't worry about me. I... I love you."

He raised an eyebrow at what she mumbled while she slept. All of a sudden, her hand held his and he was pulled to her. His head laid on her chest. He listened to her heartbeat. Strong, calm and slow thumps filled his hearing. He immediately separated from her, and shook her.

"Kazeko..." He whispered. "Kazeko, it's me, Katsuro. Wake up."

Kazeko's response was a moan, and she stretched her arms out. She suddenly touched his cheeks, and then yanked his hair. Katsuro yelped.

"Kazeko, wake up. I'll get you out of this nonsense."

"Han... go to sleep." She moaned.

Again, Katsuro raised an eyebrow. Kazeko just confused him with Han, who was resting on a corner.

He had such a look, and left Kazeko to sleep.

_The next day..._

Another beautiful and sunny day rised in Fruitasia. The forests were so bright, and some wild flowers bloomed everywhere.

The small fireplace already wasted all the wood that was used to keep the flames from going off. So in place was a small amount of smoke.

A sleepy Kazeko woke up with a big yawn and stretched herself.

"Good morning. Han? Did you brought any apples yet? I'm starving."

She heard no response.

"Han?"

When Kazeko opened her eyes, she saw Katsuro standing next to her with a serious look in his face. This time Kazeko felt a bit of fear.

"Katsuro? Why are you here?"


	12. Training, Jealousy, Friends And LOVE?

Chapter 12: Training, Jealousy, Friends And... LOVE?

Katsuro's presence surprised Kazeko too much. His seriousness got her nervous.

"Katsuro? Why are you here?"

"Where have you been, Kazeko?"

Kazeko sighed. "Katsuro, I'm truly sorry. I've always been here because of my punishment."

"You scared me, Kazeko. Ever since you were unconscious I was afraid of losing you. But now I found you... and you got more spots in your hair!"

"I know, Katsuro. My curse is on its second period, but..."

"Kazeko, I know you need me. Did something bad happened?"

"Katsuro, I've got no scratches or wounds. I'm perfectly fine. See?"

Katsuro felt Kazeko's cheeks gingerly with the back of his hand. "Are you sure?"

Kazeko blushed severely, and lowered his hand. "Yeah, I'm good."

Katsuro embraced Kazeko into another heart-warming hug. He was relieved to finally stand close to her once more. Time stopped for them as they stood hugging each other.

"It's good to know you're okay. Come on, let's get you out of this punishment."

Kazeko separated from him. "Katsuro, I can't go just yet."

"Why not?"

"Well... you wouldn't believe me."

"Hey, you can trust me. I'll be hearing you."

"Okay."

Kazeko took in a deep breath.

"Well..."

"_Ohayō_, Kazeko." Called Han. "I bet you're hungry."

Han arrived with another bucket of apples to share with her, but his expression changed when he saw Katsuro.

Katsuro gasped at that. "How did Han know about you?"

"I've been with him for the last 29 days, and trusted him with my secret."

Katsuro felt some jealousy growing. He also felt an unleashing fury, but decided to keep his cool for Kazeko's sake.

"Morning, Han!"

Kazeko walked towards Han, and Katsuro raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?!"

"How was your rest?"

"It was great, thank you. So, are those apples fresh?"

"Fresh, sweet and juicy, just how you like them."

Kazeko giggled. "Han..."

She and Han laughed a bit. Katsuro crossed his arms and looked away. "Hmph!"

_Later that morning..._

Kazeko chose a calm, bright spot to practice archery, and kunai and shuriken throwing. But first she did some warm-ups before proceeding to the training.

"Okay, I'm ready."

She picked an arrow and the bamboo bow. This time the arrows were different and stronger than the first arrows.

Next to the spot she stood was a trail of water, and crossing that trail of water was the other side of the spot, where the target was. Hanging on a branch was a single red apple.

Katsuro and Han watched in the distance as Kazeko strung the arrow back at her cheek and focused on her aim.

"C'mon, Sakurano. Focus."

The wind blew behind her, pushing her hair forward. Her hand holding the arrow shivered. She was nervous.

Katsuro noticed the wind's intensification. "She's nervous. I'll take over."

Han stopped Katsuro from interrupting her. "Let her do it alone. She has much to learn."

Kazeko breathed out, still nervous. "I can do this... I can do this... I can do this."

She tightened her grip on the arrow, and strung back further. When she was ready, she released the arrow. The arrow hit the target, but never hit the apple.

"Ugh! So close!"

Kazeko heard an applause. When she looked behind her shoulder it was none but Katsuro. She had to giggle.

She tried one more time, but failed again.

"Huh?"

She did one more try, strung the arrow back at her cheek, and released. This time she stabbed the arrow and hit the target in the center.

"Yes!" She cheered.

This surprised both Han and Katsuro. "Wow. She's amazing."

"She truly is."

Kazeko smiled at them.

_The next day..._

This day Han taught Kazeko how to throw the kunai knife. He gave her a small demonstration with one. He used the precise distance and strength to throw the kunai to a tree. His throwing skills impressed Kazeko, who applauded when Han threw the knife at a target.

"_Sugoi_! I wish to learn how do to that."

"Alright. This won't be too easy to master."

"_そうですか_." (_Sōdesu ka. _(I see.)) "But I'll do my best."

...

Hours seemed like minutes, and by that meantime, Kazeko tried so hard to throw kunai knives to the very center of the target. She mostly hit the corners of it or just the tree trunk.

"Aw, I missed."

"You're distracting yourself, Kazeko." Said Han.

"What?"

Han went next to her and helped with the position of the kunai and her own stance.

"Oh! I forgot about that. Thanks."

"Okay. Now shoot."

Kazeko threw the weapon, and it almost reached the center.

"_Sugoi_! Did you see that? Oh my sakura, that was amazing!"

Kazeko jumped like an excited kid. It was too much excitement that she slipped off and almost fell to the ground, but Katsuro caught her just in time.

"That was a close call."

"Katsuro..." She panted. "...thanks."

He winked an eye at her, making her giggle.

_Day 31..._

This day all four fruit ninjas were there to help Kazeko with her ninja training. Today she had to learn one of the most common ninja lessons.

"Kazeko-chan, I've been testing your speed abilities, and pretty much realized you're not that fast. However, I will personally teach you how to enhance your skills."

"You know that, Mari?"

"_Hai_. Well, I'll show you what I've learned so far."

"That's good. Teach me just what you've learned."

"Okay. But you have to keep your eyes open."

"That's just like a piece of- Aah!"

She ALMOST got hit by a shuriken, but with a swift jump she remained harmless.

"Mari, that was too fast for me! Can't you teach me slowly?"

"Questions can be answered later, Kazeko-chan. Now focus."

"H-_Hai_."

_Day 32..._

"That is one interesting game. What should I do?"

"It's very simple. You see this strawberry?"

"_Hai_."

"It'll be hidden in one of these cups. I will shuffle them, and you will find it."

"Awesome! And it doesn't seem too hard. Let's begin."

Kazeko was sadly mistaken. Once Nobu hid the strawberry in one of the three cups, he shuffled them so fast that Kazeko wasn't able to follow that one cup that held the hidden strawberry.

"Whoa!"

Now it was Kazeko's time to choose a cup.

"Okay. I believe it's in... this one?"

She picked up the cup from the left, and to her dismay, saw no strawberries under it.

"Huh?"

However, Nobu revealed where the fruit was... it was under the cup from the right.

"Wow. That is really cool. Let's do it again."

_Day 33..._

This day Kazeko was just honing her hands-only combat skills. She had all the space she needed to perform ninja moves, and she was practicing alone while the rest just watched.

She was about to run up a tree, but when she placed her foot, she slipped off and hit her back on the ground.

"Kazeko!"

Katsuro went to her in a micro-second. It was funny to see Kazeko wasn't suffering from all the pain she felt.

"You're not injured, are you?"

"No. I just feel some pain, but I'm okay."

_Day 34..._

Katsuro helped her improve her skills with a ninja sword by teaching her new and unique moves. It wasn't that simple for her as Katsuro set up a great number of moves. He also was swift in every move that it confused Kazeko.

"And that's how you do it."

"Okay. I believe that's a lot of moves a fruit ninja can do. Care to teach me just a few?"

Katsuro laughed. "Don't be ironic, Kazeko."

"That's what Han once told me."

Katsuro rolled his eyes when she mentioned Han. He still felt jealous of him.

He handed Kazeko his sword. It was big, and heavy.

"Man, how can you hold on to this thing? It's as heavy as a rock."

"Kazeko, just hold it tight, with both hands."

"Okay."

She kept her cool and focused, but the sword was too much for her that she lost balance due to its weight. She dropped it and fell on her back to the ground.

Katsuro face-palmed himself.

_Day 35..._

Once again, Kazeko practiced her formerly learned skills with a nunchaku on her own. But this time only Katsuro watched her every move. She didn't had any problems with the usage of the weapon. Her training was perfect.

"Sensei should see this."

"Huh?"

Next to him was Mari standing. She came to see her friend training.

"Kazeko's slowly becoming the perfect kunoichi the rest of her clan wanted to see."

"Nice observation." Said Han, who also came to watch Kazeko as she trained. "I'm starting to think she really is one of us, even though she's an outsider."

Kazeko made a final spin and whip with the nunchaku, and her training ended.

"And she's done."

Kazeko walked around and saw them, and waved hello. They waved back at her.

_Day 36..._

One, two, three kunai knives were thrown, and each hit the target in its very center. It turns out that Han joined Kazeko in what he knew. They were both comparing their skills and analyzing the differences between them. Han was faster, and his throwing accuracy was great. Kazeko, in the other hand, was less faster, but she could easily aim for the center at a short distance.

They both talked about their skills and how to make some creative moves with them. This amazed Kazeko because she realized all the things she could do with just a weapon such as the kunai.

_Day 37..._

Shurikens chunked on some bamboo sticks. With help of her powers, Kazeko was a bit faster than the last time and could avoid being hit, unlike last time.

"You're doing good, Kazeko-chan, but you need to improve better."

Kazeko just panted. She was tired of all the jumping, flipping, ducking and dodging.

"I call a break."

She then sat on the ground, still panting. Mari sat next to her, and offered her a strawberry.

"No, thank you."

_Day 38..._

Nobu shuffled the cups once again. Kazeko waited, focusing hard as the cups were rapidly shuffled. She rested her head in her hands.

Now it was her turn to choose a cup. She sat firmly and thought carefully.

"Okay."

She wanted to select the left one, but thought about choosing the cup in the middle.

"Okay, here I go."

He waited patiently for Kazeko to choose a cup. She thought hard. The game seemed too difficult that she didn't knew which one she wanted to pick.

"Fine, it's this one."

She picked the cup in the middle, and saw the strawberry under it.

"_それを見つけた_!" (_Sore o mitsuketa!_ (Found it!))

She clapped at her successful try.

"Um... can we do that one more time, please?"

...

After 30 tries, Kazeko found it easy to find the hidden strawberry. She laughed at every successful try.

"Found it!"

The clever ninja then made things hard for her. He placed another cup in board and shuffled them. When he was done, Kazeko randomly picked one, and laughed hard when she found the strawberry.

"Oh my gosh, I can't..."

Her laughter was too much that her guts hurt.

_Day 39..._

"Ha! Hyah!"

Katsuro and Kazeko practiced their skills together. They performed many sword moves, including the ones Sensei taught Kazeko and the ones she learned from her homeland. Their training lasted for hours as they hoped to stand beside each other at all times.

Mari observed them carefully, and realized Katsuro and Kazeko were interacting as great friends, something she found hard to describe. She knew fruit ninjas couldn't fall in love with each other.

_Day 40..._

The last day of their punishment arrived, and that same day Kazeko improved every skill and lesson the fruit ninjas taught her.

She threw several shuriken and kunai knives at some tree trunks. Just like Han, she measured the distance and strength to throw the weapons.

She repeated this 10 times and continued with her other abilities.

She chose to practice her skills with a sword, slicing away as many bamboo sticks as she could swiftly. She could hold on to the weight of the sword better than her last time.

Right after that, she dropped the sword and practiced hands-only combat. There's when she realized she was lighter, swift and flexible.

_**"Learning this kind of abilities was hard. But thanks to the amazing fruit ninjas, my skills were growing to a whole new level. Now I knew more about being a fruit kunoichi."**_

She performed a spin and threw three shuriken at a target, hitting the center.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Oh my gosh, I'm overflowing with excitement! Hahaha!"

Everybody saw Kazeko laughing, spinning and running around. That made Katsuro like her even more. He smiled at her overflowing happiness. They all came towards her.

"Okay, Kazeko. Training's over."

"And so is your punishment." Replied Mari.

Kazeko and Han raised eyebrows. "Huh?"

"Sensei sent us to see how your punishment progressed. And I see you two are becoming good partners."

"You have no idea how hard it was to spend 40 days with the apple boy."

"Hey, I heard that."

Mari laughed at that. "It's good to see you're getting along."

Katsuro raised an eyebrow at that.

"Well, let's go. Sensei awaits."

_Later..._

Night was coming out, and the fruit ninjas made their way out of the woods. But Kazeko had a small problem, she was exhausted.

Her legs were too numb that she almost collapsed, but Katsuro, who was beside her at all times, caught her.

"Kazeko, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, Katsuro. I'm fine."

"You're exhausted, I can see it in your eyes."

"Kazeko-chan, are you okay?"

"What's with her?" Asked Han.

"She got herself worn out again."

"I'm sorry. But I'm still a Sakurano Kunoichi, remember? Even if I'm not in my homeland anymore, I must follow the sacred ways of my clan and continue my tradition. It's my number one rule."

"We understand, Kazeko."

"Wait, I'm confused. Does she seriously train all the time, getting exhausted like this?"

Katsuro and Mari nodded.

"I've never seen someone training so hard before. It's surprising."

"And scary. Well, it's almost nighttime. Kazeko-chan wouldn't hold on to more walking, so let's find a spot, set up a bonfire and rest."

"Is it okay to do that?"

"Yeah, don't worry. There won't be any creeps around the woods. Just us."

"Huh."

Katsuro scooped Kazeko bridal style. She was scared at first, but then she knew she could trust him to catch her whenever she falls.

She laid her head on his chest and always looked up at him as he walked with the others. Sometimes he looked down at her and smiled.

**_"That sweet look in Katsuro's orange eyes made me feel something bigger than just nervousness. Something huge. Something I couldn't describe. Something... unexperienced."_**

_That evening..._

The night was cold and sometimes breezy. The fruit ninjas sat close to a bonfire, getting some of its heat.

Kazeko, in the other hand, was sleeping beside a tree. She fell asleep on the way to find a nice spot to have a break. And it was all because of Katsuro's act of friendship and kindness.

Everything had been quite relaxing that night, especially because Nobu played a calm Japanese melody with his bamboo flute. Han was out on a fruit hunt, so only the rest were there.

Mari yawned. Katsuro kept his eyes on Kazeko. She moved a little, but remained asleep.

Seconds after Nobu ended with the melody, they started up a conversation.

Katsuro sighed. "I still can't believe Kazeko keeps up with that "all-day-long-training" thing. She's going to harm herself."

"Don't look at it that way, Katsuro. She told us about the ways of the Sakurano, one being her parents' secret of becoming a perfect ninja."

"I know, but she should stop."

"We can't stop her from being who she is." Replied Nobu.

"He's right. Kazeko-chan was born in a clan. She has to follow tradition as she's the last of them. She's not like us, fruit ninjas. You said it yourself, Katsuro."

"She's wasting her energies a lot, Mari."

"I know, but that'll be over when she recovers from all that tiredness. Why do you worry so much?"

Now it was Katsuro's turn to remain silent. He tried so bad not to blush because he had a crush on her.

"Brought some fruit, hope you don't mind."

Han's arrival saved Katsuro from answering said question. He had another bucket of assorted fruit to share. Apples, strawberries, and a watermelon. He then spotted Kazeko. She opened her eyes a little, but closed them back and returned to sleep. He sat down between Nobu and Katsuro.

"Is she okay?"

Mari was the next one to take a glance at Kazeko.

"She's fine. Besides it's not the first time we've seen her like this."

"It's that curse she has, isn't it?"

"No. It's determination and hardwork what makes her feel so exhausted. I told you she's like that."

"You're definitely right." Han replied and took a bite of a red apple.

Kazeko finally decided to wake up, feeling the coldness from the forest.

"Ooh... it's really cold here. Katsuro?"

Kazeko saw everybody laughing and chatting. Their happiness warmed her heart.

"They're so happy together. Best ninjas I've met."

She got up and stretched out.

"I never thought it'd be so cold out here."

...

"Admit it, Katsuro. You were too slow to avoid those strawberries."

"Mari, stop that. You started it in the first place."

They all laughed at that. It was until they saw Kazeko.

Kazeko waved hello at them with a tired look. "Hi."

"Look who's up! Come, sit with us."

"Does anybody know for how long I've slept?"

"Just for a few hours since we came here." Said Mari before biting a strawberry.

"Really? I feel like I've slept forever."

Katsuro laughed. "I guess you're a heavy sleeper, Kazeko."

"I can't agree more. Hey, that's an apple!"

She sat in the middle, between Katsuro and Han, and enjoyed the warmth of the flames. Katsuro stared at her. Her smile was astonishing, calm, and beautiful. She took a bite of the apple. Some juice streamed down her lips, so she wiped it out with the back of her hand.

_"I just wonder how my clan is right now. I miss them so much."_

Within the flames, Kazeko could see an image of her past and heard people screaming her name.

"Kazeko!"

She gasped terribly and hugged Katsuro tightly. The rest stared at her with strange looks, wondering what was happening to her.

"Uh, okay. Kazeko, why are you hugging me like this?"

Her response was separating herself from him, running away and climbing up a tree at her highest speed.

"I think you should talk to her."

Katsuro climbed up the same tree, but using his own style as he did so.

"That girl's acting strange." Commented Han.

Mari and Nobu looked at him weirdly.

"What? It's the first time I've seen her."

The ninjas face-palmed.

...

Kazeko was sitting on the highest branch of the tree. She was light enough to sit there. Before her eyes was a beautiful nighttime scenery that reminded her so much of a small village inside the Sakurano Prefecture. Besides that, the moonlight shined so bright that almost every spot could be seen, and there was billions of stars shimmering in the sky.

Tears escaped from her eyes. The scenery was filled with beauty and tranquility. She wanted to see that, but in her former homeland.

Just then, she cried, covering her eyes with a hand.

A hand touched her other hand, and she gasped. Next to her was her secret crush.

"Katsuro, please leave me alone."

Katsuro sat next to her and stared at her sad, pink eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I won't do that."

"Don't you see me?" She asked him, thinking that he didn't respected her privacy. "I'm sad." She said, even more sad.

Katsuro looked away from her. He had another apple in hand, and wanted to give it to Kazeko.

"Hey, Kazeko?"

Kazeko sniffed. "Huh?"

"I got an apple just for you."

Kazeko laughed shortly. "Thanks, Katsuro."

She accepted the apple. "Katsuro, why are you giving this to me? Why are you always willing to protect me and my curse? Is something wrong with me that you don't want to tell me?"

"Well, of course not. Why would be something wrong with you?"

"Just wondering."

Katsuro chuckled.

"Well... there's something I've always wanted to tell you."

"Is it about our ninja stuff?"

"No. It's something beyond being a fruit ninja."

Katsuro held his hand over Kazeko's, and she looked at him with big eyes.

"Katsuro..." She whispered, her breathings shivered.

"How do apples taste like?"

Kazeko was impressed by his question. "Wow! Can't describe. Juicy, tasty, sweet..."

"That apple in your hands is as sweet as you. Oh, and sorry about the bite. I just wanted to make sure I got the sweetest apple."

Kazeko saw the bite and laughed hard. "Are you kidding me? Hahaha!"

They both laughed for a while.

"That just cheered me up. Thanks, Katsuro. I'm so lucky to have met you."

They both stared at each other in the eyes. They felt something they couldn't describe in their hearts.

_**"Oh my gosh! I so fell in love with Katsuro!"**_

They slowly got closer to each other. Katsuro stroked Kazeko's hair, and she touched his cheeks gingerly. They slowly closed their eyes. They joined their hands tightly...

...then their lips touched.

And they shared a sweet kiss under the moonlight. Kazeko's heartbeat raced so fast as they kissed. She found true love in Katsuro.

Their moment was blown by the sounds of an explosion in the distance. They both looked at the direction the sound took place, and noticed some light made by flames.

"What is that?"

Kazeko felt a burning sensation in her right arm.

"Katsuro, Kazeko, get down from there!" Called Han.

...

Now all the fruit ninjas stood beside each other with their weapons in hand. They all had Kazeko behind their backs for protection.

Arriving at the spot were a small number of samurai warriors, with their leader and a tall, hooded subject in the middle.

Kazeko gasped. "Oh no! They found me!"

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

OMG LONG CHAPTER! Well, I guess I'll be leaving you with that cliffie, because this concludes the 12th chapter of my Fruit Ninja fanfiction! There will be more coming, and Kazeko is slowly becoming a great kunoichi!

Anyways, reviews are welcome. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!


	13. Encounter, The Festival

Chapter 13: Encounter, The Festival

Torches held by several samurai warriors lit the spot. The army surrounded the young ninjas, giving them terrifying looks.

The leader of the samurai army paced towards the fruit ninjas, removing his helmet. It revealed the face of a tall man with a small ponytail on his inky black hair, crimson red eyes and a bit of a tan skin. He eyed the ninjas with a sinister smirk.

Katsuro held Kazeko's hand tightly. He somehow knew she was scared, and helped her get through with her fears.

"Well, well, well. You must be the fruit ninjas. I've heard so little about you."

"What do you want, creep?!" Demanded Mari, stepping forward.

"Someone who should have been with us a long time ago. Now, hand over the child of wind. If you don't obey, you will face the highest price of your consequences."

"We're not giving her to fools like you!" Yelled Katsuro.

The Samurai Lord crossed his arms. "Then I guess I'll have to tell you otherwise."

The rest of the army unsheated their swords, threatening the fruit ninjas. This scared Kazeko.

"If you don't surrender her to us, all of you will perish."

Kazeko decided to stand brave and courageous to defend what she only has, her ninja friends. So she loosened her grip on Katsuro's hand and stood in front of them.

"If you dare hurt them, then you'll have to step over my dead body!"

They all hard claps from the Lord. He was astonished by Kazeko's actions.

"That's my Sakurano, always with the clan, defending what she's got. I'm so proud of you."

"Stop talking like if you were my father because you aren't!"

The Lord laughed. "Pity your parents are still imprisoned with the rest of your clan."

Kazeko felt like crying, but she was strong enough despite her tears coming out. "You'll pay dearly for this, samurai! You captured my clan and destroyed my home with your filthy hands! And for what?! You did it so you could take what is ours by heritage and claim the freedom my clan deserved?!"

"Those valets didn't deserved it, that's why I imprisoned them."

"CURSE YOU!" Kazeko cried.

Kazeko lunged at her enemy and launched a strong gust of wind at him, but he counter-attacked by throwing a flame burst back at her. What the samurai then thought was seeing all of them burn to ashes, but the opposite happened.

Kazeko used her powers to rid off the flames. With her hands she made a shield of wind that was big enough to protect the fruit ninjas from getting burned. Lots of wind took over until the flames disappeared. This drained away some of Kazeko's energy, so she collapsed.

"Kazeko!"

Katsuro ran to her and helped her up. He kneeled to grab her, and checked on her.

"Kazeko, please be alright."

Kazeko panted. "Katsuro, it's fine."

She smiled at Katsuro and he did the same. He knew she was okay, tired but okay.

"Aw, how romantic. A fruit ninja and a weak Sakurano Kunoichi together."

Katsuro clenched his teeth at the samurai.

"Leave her alone! Kazeko doesn't deserve to live like this! You condemned her entire life to something she can't hold on to!"

"I condemned her?" The Lord laughed. "We granted her eternal life through her powers."

"You're killing her every second! She's getting sick and exhausted because of you!"

"Because she chose being a mortal, a defenseless being with no power to rule the world, unlike a certain enemy of hers."

The Samurai Lord showed the fruit ninjas a symbol that looked like Kazeko's engraved in the left side of his neck. The only difference was that the symbol was a single red, round flame.

"Is that...?"

"That looks like her symbol." Said Han with impressed eyes.

The Lord covered his neck back in his clothing. "Certainly, I volunteered to resist the strongest period of the Fire curse, and now I've got it all. Power, strength and all my will to rule the House of the Four Elemental Clans."

Kazeko gasped and stood up.

"So that's why you destroyed the Sakurano Prefecture and took my clan as prisoners?!"

"The Sakurano still have something I always wished to have. I believe you still have the legendary Sakurano Blade in your possession?"

Kazeko gasped. She trusted the mighty sword to Sensei and the fruit ninjas so they could do some research on it, and it was still under major changes.

_"Oh no! Sensei!"_

Kazeko tried so hard not to feel fear, so she made up a lie.

"No, it's not. I lost it years ago. I don't have it anymore. In fact, I have no more weapons to defend myself."

"Really? You're not capable of lying, Kazeko. Where is the sword?"

"I told you I just lost it!"

"LIAR!"

The Samurai Lord launched another flame ball at her.

"KAZEKO!" They all screamed.

When the flames went off, they all saw Kazeko disappeared, which impressed both the Samurai Lord and the fruit ninjas.

What really happened was that she used that time to climb up some bamboo sticks, and was standing over two with enough balance as she was taught by Sensei.

"Where is she?! I demand to know!"

The Lord was suddenly being pushed by a strong force of wind. This happened several times until it was seen that he was very furious.

"SHOW YOURSELF, SAKURANO! OR YOUR FRIENDS WILL PAY DEARLY FOR YOUR COWARDLINESS!"

The fruit ninjas prepared themselves for a battle. They showed the angrier of looks.

"I don't think so, ancient jerk."

A flying kick hit him in the chest. It turns out that Kazeko surprise-attacked him.

"You think you're one clever kunoichi."

"You just haven't seen my abilities yet."

Kazeko stood in her fighting stance, and the samurai did the same. She squeezed her teeth at him.

The samurai let out a battle cry, charging at Kazeko with his sword in hand. He swiped his sword, but Kazeko jumped and rolled out of the way. With her powers, she snatched a sword from one of the warriors, and pointed it at her enemy.

"Leave my friends alone." She said with a deep, dark voice.

The same warrior came at her with a knife.

"I'm afraid to say I won't do that, Sakurano. You revealed your secret to these weak ninjas, now they'll have to pay the highest price."

"Stop calling them that! They're better than you and your stupid army combined!"

Suddenly, Kazeko heard her mother's voice echoing in her mind.

_"Kazeko, run!"_

The samurai launched the knife at her, but fortunately, Katsuro came at the right time to save her. He pushed her out of the way, and both were sent to the ground, Katsuro falling over Kazeko.

"Um, Katsuro..."

"Oh, sorry." He quickly got out of her and helped her up by holding her hands.

"I think it's best you go."

"Katsuro, no. I won't leave you!" She cried.

He scooped her up bridal-style and sent her to Han.

"Take her out of here."

Han grabbed her from Katsuro's arms. "Hai."

"No! Katsuro, don't do this to me! I should fight!"

"Kazeko, you have to go! We'll be alright."

Kazeko's mind flash-backed to the moment her parents were being taken by the samurai.

_"Honey, run now! We'll be alright!"_

"No! Please, don't do this to me! Katsuro!"

His face saddened by the cries of his beloved partner. Distraction hit him before one of the warriors threw a small knife at him. He jumped out of the way to avoid it, but the very tip of the weapon scratched his cheek a little, making a very slight wound.

With him down, the samurai made his next move, but Mari interfered and surprise-attacked him with a tough swing kick.

"Thanks."

Mari just nodded at Katsuro.

...

"Let me go! This is not fair, I have to fight!"

Han didn't listened as he ran as far as he could, with her in his arms. He had her close to him. He sometimes looked down at her, but Kazeko was a little frightened of his glance, so she looked away.

They stopped near some bamboo trees and hid there. Han used the darkness to his advantage so he and Kazeko could stay unnoticed. He nicely set her down and kept his guard on, peeking behind the bamboo sticks. Kazeko felt in her heart that she should be out there helping her friends.

"I should help them!"

Han stopped her from running. "No! Kazeko, you should stay."

"Han, you don't understand! They need me!" Kazeko cried.

"Sakurano, those guys are dangerous! So stay down and get a hold of yourself."

He nicely held her by the shoulders. Kazeko couldn't resist her emotions until she finally relaxed. They sat next to each other afterwards. Kazeko looked away from Han, feeling a lot of sadness.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done this. Now because I revealed my secret, the samurai won't stop fighting. And if something happens to them... I wouldn't know what to do. I wouldn't bear seeing them hurt."

Han held a hand on her shoulder for consolation. "Hey, we're fruit ninjas. Nothing bad will happen."

"How can you be so sure, Han? I already lost everything ten years ago. I don't want to lose you guys to the samurai like it happened with my clan."

Han's face saddened. He still felt pity for Kazeko's awful past. Knowing how Kazeko was, he noticed it wasn't too easy to get rid of such thing, especially because her clan wasn't rescued just yet.

Much was the sorrow that it made her cry.

"I hate my life."

Kazeko let out a loud cry, feeling a huge pain in her heart, one that made her hate herself.

"Kazeko, don't hate yourself because of something that truly isn't your fault."

Kazeko found it hard to look at Han with lots of tears in her eyes. "Hmm?"

Surprisingly, he pulled her in for a hug, comforting her.

"Easy there. Everything will be fine, I promise."

Kazeko sighed. Han tapped her back to calm her down.

"Thanks for your friendship, Han. I knew someday we'll become friends. If it wasn't for that punishment we wouldn't be who we are now."

Han smiled at the fact he has become her friend and not her rival anymore. Kazeko dropped some tears and hugged him back.

...

By that moment the fruit ninjas were victorious after their first battle. After many punches, kicks, and promising ninja skills, they took all the warriors down, and they were all one over the other like a pile of trash on a field.

The Samurai Lord showed fury through the look in his crimson eyes. He knew these ninjas had their own potential to fight, which disliked him verily.

"My Lord, the warriors have reached their defeat. Is there something I could do to assist you?"

The Lord stared at the ninjas with a sinister look. "Yes."

The fruit ninjas gasped at that.

"I want them to suffer, one at a time, until they surrender the princess to us. But first, begin with the pineapple boy."

...

The wind howled, whispering silent words all around the forest. Kazeko took it in, but sensed something out of place.

"Han, did you heard that?"

They carefully listened to the silent sounds of the wind, but Han heard nothing.

"Heard what?"

"The wind... it's whispering to me."

...

Katsuro showed no signs of fear towards the Dark Sorcerer as he slowly paced to him with a lightning ball hovering above his palm. The elderly wizard stared daggers at him.

...

The wind blew harder. Kazeko could hear all the whispering clearly. She could hear evil laughter, and could also hear familiar voices.

_"Katsuro, you should run. The creep's no good!"_

_"Even if you do this he'll go after the girl."_

Kazeko's eyes widened when she heard them.

"Katsuro..."

She immediately ran, despite Han's protests. She had to save the young hero from being defeated for good.

_"I won't lose you like I lost my clan! Because I love you, Katsuro! And I always will!"_

Her powers began working on her favor, increasing her running speed. With that on her side, Kazeko jumped from tree to tree swiftly.

...

The three ninjas stood closer to each other, also staring evilly at their enemy.

"See you in the afterlife, weaklings."

The lightning ball was shot, and Katsuro's eyes widened. The others were shocked as well.

For a second, everything became red.

A female moan was heard...

"KAZEKO-CHAN!"

Katsuro saw his beloved friend falling to the ground, and realized she saved him from the lightning strike. They all could see small electric bolts zapping on her body. Katsuro kneeled before her and felt her ckeeks. She was burning hot.

With a burning fury in his heart, Katsuro stood on his fighting stance and unsheated his sword. "What have you done to her?!"

The Lord laughed evilly. "She sacrificed herself to save you. That very kind-hearted, but stupid."

The fruit ninjas' thought was attacking the Lord, but they held themselves back. The Lord smirked, holding a crimson orb in his hand.

Suddenly, a circular blade weapon was shot at the metallic reinforcements in the Lord's right shoulder. The blade never reached to hurt him, but it did broke the metallic armor a bit.

Standing on a corner was Han, who saw everything. He ran next to Kazeko and touched her neck, checking her pulse.

"She's still with us."

Katsuro sighed, turning his eyes to his enemy. The Lord removed the weapon off the armor in his shoulder and threw it to the ground.

"We will not fight anymore... for now. But I'll return when you least expect it, so don't think you're in eternal peace."

Katsuro gave an evil glance at the Lord. "We'll be as long as Kazeko fulfills her quest."

The defeated army and the two villains disappeared in black mist. Once they were all out of sight, the fruit ninjas dropped their stances.

"Kazeko..."

Katsuro kneeled before her and gently grabbed her. What he first heard from her was a cough. She moved her head a little, but she was too weak to open her eyes.

"Katsuro..." She wheezed.

Katsuro held her head. "Kazeko, stay with me."

Kazeko wheezed again. She was too stunned by the lightning attack.

"Katsuro... your cheek..."

Katsuro felt a strong burn in his cheek. He touched it with his fingertips, and felt a slight wound.

Kazeko weakly held up her hand to check on him. "You're hurt."

Katsuro held her hand. "It's okay. The inside of banana peels can fix it. Now we should get you out of here."

He scooped her up in his arms. This made Kazeko feel better.

"Whenever you carry me... I feel safe. It's like a fairytale. You're my favorite hero."

He smiled at her words. Indeed he was the young hero... but mostly, _her_ hero.

"Alright, Kazeko. Just stay awake, okay?"

"I'll try, but I don't feel much strength."

"Hang on, I'll get you something to boost your energies."

"We should go, it's already morning. Sensei might be wondering what happened."

"You're right."

_Later that morning..._

In a small house of the village, the ninjas took a moment to rest after their first battle against the samurai. Before they went to the dojo to inform Sensei about what happened recently, and he was relieved to see all of his students were alright.

As for Kazeko, he suggested they leave her to take plenty of rest as her energies were badly drained away by the lightning attack. He also told them not to stress her and recommended orange juice on her daily meals to recover her energies. And because of this, training was strictly forbidden for her until she fully recovers.

"So, how's Kazeko-chan?"

"She's asleep, so there's nothing to worry about." Replied Katsuro, sitting next to his partners.

"Thank goodness. That was such a bad time back in the woods. But this is for sure, we have to keep Kazeko-chan away from danger, no matter where she's standing."

"It doesn't matter where we are, the samurai will keep their eyes on us. It's all because she revealed her curse to us, and now they want her." Said Han with concern.

"Yes, but with us on her side, she doesn't have to worry about a thing or two." Said Katsuro.

"Which reminds me, she's been insisting that she should help you. Are you sure you guys don't have any strong connection?" Asked Han.

"Of course not. We're just partners."

"And what about that scratch? It must be burning your cheek."

"It's nothing. Those guys almost got me, but it's fine. It's nothing compared to what happened to Kazeko."

"You should use some rest too, Katsuro. After all, you struggled harder than the three of us did."

"Thanks, Mari, but I'm good. All I care for right now is Kazeko."

"We all do."

They all heard moans coming from the room Kazeko was in, and ran in to see her. On that moment Kazeko began to stir.

"Guys, what happened?"

"You were attacked by that nasty sorcerer, but you'll be just fine." Said Han, who sat next to her.

"And the samurai?"

"They're long gone by now. We used enough skill to keep them away from you."

Kazeko sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. And are you guys alright?"

"We wouldn't be if it wasn't for you. You saved us, Kazeko-chan." Said Mari with a small smile, though it was seen in the look of her eyes that she was highly concerned about Kazeko's physical status.

Kazeko sighed, narrowing her eyes down.

"Kazeko, the leader has a symbol that looks like yours. Was he cursed too?"

"I don't know. What do you mean, Katsuro?"

"He has the power of flames. Just like you possess wind powers."

"We also don't know why, but he possesses a crimson orb about the size of a kiwifruit. Kazeko-chan, have you ever seen that before, perhaps when your clan was attacked?"

"Well, no. But I'm sure he's got the Eye of the Elements. Wait a minute... Yes. That orb's the only thing that can help me."

"Kazeko, you said there's nothing we can do about your curse."

"But now there is. It holds the power of the four elements. If we can steal it from the samurai, then I can reverse my curse and then I'll finally be back to normal! I won't have to worry about my emotions anymore. Oh, I feel so hopeful now, after 14 years living with all that miserable power."

"But if you do, will you go and find a new home with your family?"

Kazeko's expression changed when Mari asked said question. "Uh, well..."

Katsuro's expression changed to a serious one. "No. She won't be leaving."

"Katsuro." Han interjected.

"She's staying here with us. She's been running away almost her entire life. She's also been training hard day and night and now she almost risked her life to save me, so I think that's quite enough for her."

"Katsuro, why are you saying this? I didn't even decided anything yet."

"I think it's best we leave her to rest, Katsuro. She's had a tough night, she can't be stressed."

"But..."

Everybody then turned to leave the room. Han was the last to do so, and stared at her.

"Just get some sleep, Kazeko. We'll talk later."

And off he went.

Kazeko then fell into her thoughts. She stroked her spotty hair, and thought about what Mari asked.

"Just why did she asked that?"

_Later..._

Katsuro silently entered the room Kazeko was in. The sight of Kazeko sleeping somehow brought a smile to his face. The way she slept was like an angel.

He sat next to her in the edge of the bed and stared at her closely. Her eyes moved, she was dreaming. Her chest slowly went up and down as she slept. With just looking at her made him forget about the burning feeling on the slight wound in his cheek.

Katsuro stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. She was warm, and every time he stroked her it tickled her skin enough to wake her up. She sleepily giggled at the tickling sensation of Katsuro's hand.

"Wake up, cherry blossom." He whispered to her.

When she opened her tired, pink eyes, she saw the fruit ninja of her dreams.

"Hi, Katsuro." She said tiredly. "It feels awesome when you're here."

"Really? I thought you were going to scream at me or something."

"No, I would never do that to such a cute and awesome fruit ninja like you."

Katsuro offered her some fresh orange juice. She accepted it, sat up and drank some.

"Katsuro... Can I ask why did you said that in front of everyone else?"

Katsuro took a breath. "Kazeko, listen... Ever since I met you, I found something special. You mean everything to me. I wouldn't bear seeing you walk away."

"Katsuro... you got a scratch in your face! Should I do something?"

Kazeko was about to touch his cheek, but he kindly stopped her by holding her hand.

"Hey, it's just a little scratch, don't worry about it."

"Sorry, but I've been so worried. That stupid sorcerer tried to attack you. If it wasn't for me you would've been hurt."

"Kazeko, don't say that."

"It's the truth, Katsuro. You or the others don't have to go through the same path I'm going. Now because of me, the samurai will always invade this place. It's my fault for revealing my secret to all of you. That's why I've been hiding from people for ten years. That's why I couldn't trust anybody."

She sobbed and hugged him. "Why's life so unfair? I just want to be a normal girl and get rid of this twisted problem."

Katsuro hugged her back. "As long as you're with me, everything will be alright."

The pink girl wiped out her tears. "I know. Thank you for always being here when I need you. I owe you a lot, Katsuro."

Katsuro blushed a little. "There's no need for that, Kazeko. You know that."

Katsuro sat beside her, and Kazeko laid her head on his chest. She once more felt his warmth filling her. She also found a peaceful song in his every heartbeat.

Kazeko yawned. "Well, I'm off to sleep. Thanks for everything, pineapple boy."

Katsuro laughed at the nickname. He found it funny and amusing, so he liked it when Kazeko called him like that.

She pulled the sheets and slept peacefully, hugging Katsuro with all her heart. He stood beside her, stroking her hair. He had his arms wrapped around her to keep her warm. He thought about the Eye of the Elements and Kazeko's curse. He somehow had to set up a mission with the other fruit ninjas. He wished to help Kazeko become a normal girl and restore her clan.

"_Oyasumi_, cherry blossom."

He carefully laid her down as he got out of the bed, and stared at her again. He covered her with the sheets a bit more, and stole her one sweet and gentle kiss. Afterwards, he left her to rest so she could recover.

Kazeko smiled in her sleep. She actually felt him kissing her. A single tear escaped from her eye. Once more, she felt overflowing love.

"I love you, Katsuro."

_Later that day..._

Kazeko woke up to the sounds of a sweet Japanese melody.

"What time is it?" She moaned, stretching up.

She immediately got up and fixed herself.

"I can't help but get such a good feeling. I wonder what's going on out there."

_Outside..._

The neighbors out there walked everywhere with party favors and ornaments. Kazeko was confused.

"Kazeko-chan!"

As soon as she saw her, Mari ran to her and embraced her in a three-second hug.

"It's great to see you. How do you feel?"

"Much better. Mind if I ask what day is it today?"

"Today's the Festival of the Great Dragon fruit. This is why everybody's working with their decorations."

"I'm sorry, I'm confused. What kind of festival is that?"

Mari laughed. "Come. I'll tell you after some good meal."

...

Both kunoichis sat next to a table, eating their meals. Kazeko chose some fresh bread and sweet apple juice.

"So, what's the Festival of the Great Dragon fruit? I never heard of it before."

"I'll explain. One day, every one thousand years, only one person is chosen by King Dragon to take the first bite of the Great Dragon fruit. Legends say that, by doing so, King Dragon could grant the chosen with a mystical power of his or her choosing."

"How did they chose their power?"

"They just wished for the power they desired to have by mind and heart before they eat the fruit."

"Sugoi! But... how do we know who's chosen?"

"King Dragon chooses him or her only if the person feels a deep attraction to his fruit. We'll know when the person can't stop staring at it, no matter what."

"Wow. That sounds really interesting."

"It really is. And it intrigues me to know who will be chosen this year."

"Me too."

On that instant, Han came to see the girls.

"_Kon'nichiwa_."

Kazeko laughed nervously. "Hi, Han."

"You should get ready for the festival. It starts in just hours."

"Just hours?"

Kazeko looked at the sky. The sun was starting to fall in the horizon.

"Did I slept that long?"

"More than 12 hours, to be precise."

"Really?!"

Han laughed at Kazeko's expression. "The tents will open up soon. Mari, make sure she's ready."

"Hai. I'll be working on that. And besides, I've got the best dress for you, Kazeko-chan."

"A new dress?"

"Yes!" She exclaimed excitedly, jumping like a kid. "Well, I should be going now. _じゃあまたね_! (_Jā mata ne!_ (See you later!))"

Kazeko and Han saw Mari walk away, and looked at each other. But Kazeko nervously looked away.

"_じゃあまたね_, Kazeko-chan."

Han tapped Kazeko's shoulder, then walked away. Kazeko smiled at the nickname, as she never thought he'd call her like that. She then laid her head on the table.

"What I would give for my parents to be here. What if King Dragon chooses me? My parents would've been so proud... but they're not with me."

Once more, Kazeko fell into the depths of sorrow, and covered her face in her hands, mourning for her long lost clan and her family.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

FINALLY! After some time thinking about some scenes it's done! And I just realized I'm not that good with fighting scenes. I'm truly sorry about this and for taking too long to finish. :(

Thank you for reading and see you guys in the next chapter! :)


	14. The Great Dragon Fruit

Chapter 14: The Great Dragon Fruit

_At the Samurai Clan Palace..._

"I told my soldiers I wanted the princess alive and unharmed. How could you dare hurt her instead of attacking the pineapple boy at once?!"

"She interfered, my Lord. There was nothing else I could do."

"Don't give me pathetic excuses, sorcerer! The child has great value and power! You were supposed to terminate the fruit ninjas and bring the emperors' child to me!"

"But my Lord..."

"SILENCE!"

The Lord's loud voice echoed all over the throne room, bringing instant chills down the wizard's spine.

"Fail me one more time, sorcerer, and all your powers will be drained away."

"I promise not to fail you once again, my Lord."

"Leave."

The Sorcerer bowed with respect and left.

The samurai sat back in his throne seat. All that could be seen in his eyes was anger.

"If he can't get rid of those "fruit ninjas", then I'll do it myself."

_Back at Fruitasia, at evening..._

"Kazeko-chan... Kazeko-chan!"

Mari slightly shook Kazeko by her back. Kazeko opened her teary eyes to her. "Huh?"

"Wake up. The festival is about to start, and you look a little messy."

Kazeko wiped off her tears. "My apologies, Mari. I was just deep in my thoughts."

"You don't need to worry about that, my friend. Now, come on. It's time to get you cleaned and dressed up."

"_Hai_, but... now? I'm kind of tired."

"Sorry but we can't wait. Everybody has to be present in the Festival of the Great Dragon fruit, no exceptions."

"Mari..."

Mari helped her up to her feet, despite her tiredness. "Aw, come on, sleepyhead. A little change won't hurt you. And I'm sure you'll love the dress I chose for you tonight."

She held Kazeko's arm and led her to get herself ready for the festival.

...

Mari patiently waited for Kazeko to finally wear her new dress. She was excited to see her. She could imagine how Kazeko would look like.

"Okay, I'm done."

She pulled the curtains aside. Kazeko now wore a simple short-sleeved Japanese woven dress. It had lots of tiny cherry blossom flowers all around it. The skirt was long to below the knees and it was stuffy with white fabric layers in the inside. On her waist was a pink ribbon with a bow tie on her back. She wore white slippers, pink fingerless gloves and a cherry blossom flower clip on her hair. She also used pink lipstick and some facial makeup that made her face look lighter.

"So, what do you think?"

Mari's mouth nearly dropped at the sight of her kunoichi friend.

"Sweet strawberries, Kazeko-chan, you look wonderful!"

Kazeko giggled. "Thanks, Mari."

"Come, the boys are waiting for us."

She and Kazeko walked out.

Kazeko loved her new dress, and she was anxious to see Katsuro's reaction when he sees her.

She couldn't help but giggle.

...

Using some stealth, Mari found it easy to arrive at her tent without the boys noticing. She placed a small bowl of strawberries on a table and greeted the boys.

"Hi, guys."

"It's about time you showed up." Said Katsuro.

"Sorry, but I had to pick some strawberries earlier. Kazeko-chan has been helping me with that."

"Speaking of Kazeko, where is she now? I haven't seen her in a while."

Mari turned the spotlight on and pointed it at some spot. The boys looked at the empty spot, confused.

Out of the shades came the new form of Kazeko. The boys' eyes grew so wide at the sight of the pink girl.

"Wow, she looks awesome." Said Han, amazed by her new look.

The boys never took their sight off of Kazeko as she walked towards them. The dress matched her beautifully.

Katsuro's eyes couldn't believe what they saw. He thought it was all a dream, a vision, something imaginary, but he was proved wrong. It was all real, and Kazeko was there, smiling at him and the others.

"Hi, guys. Do you, um... like my new dress?"

A gust of wind almost lifted the skirt, but Kazeko held it down.

"Whoa! This wind... Ugh! Mari, please get that spotlight off my eyes. It's blinding me."

They laughed at that. The wind stopped, and the spotlight was off. She walked some more, seeing the tents they set up for the festival.

"This is awesome. Do you guys, um... show your skills to everyone else?"

"Yes. This is what we do." Said Han, twirling a kunai like a baton.

"There is still time until the elder and his servants arrive with the Great Dragon Fruit. We can show you a small demonstration of what we can do as fruit ninjas." Said Katsuro.

"Oh my gosh, I'd love to see that!"

...

It was a very fun evening according to Kazeko. The ninjas showed her their abilities, and Kazeko did some tries. Her abilities were now promising, as she had been practicing most of her days of life, and she loved it.

What she loved the most was Han's Apple Range. She loved to pin the fruits with the kunai knives, and considered it very amusing. And every time she succeeded doing so after a minute and thirty seconds her prize was an apple.

She also spent some time with Katsuro. They had many walks around the village, and they shared some things together.

Their love was like magic, like a dream in which they never wanted to wake up. But because they were ninjas, they kept it as a secret from everyone else, including their partners.

...

Fireworks filled the nighttime sky with sparkling colors. This announced the arrival of the Great Dragon fruit, and the villagers created space so the people who arrived could walk by.

There were several people dressed in red dragon dresses. They were dancers. Some others were holding a long dragon puppet as they walked around the neighborhood.

"Katsuro, do you know something about dragons?" Asked a confused Kazeko.

They both eyed the Dragon puppet that resembled King Dragon.

"Yeah. That's King Dragon. The festival is a tribute to him."

"Oh, that explains a lot. So that means the Great Dragon fruit is, like, his prized possession?"

"You said it."

"Interesting."

Finally, an elder and two people behind him arrived, following the dancers. The elder held a box which had many dragons designed all around it, and it looked very old, maybe ancient.

Kazeko stared at the box carefully, and had a stinging feeling within.

"We should follow the villagers. The ceremony of the chosen one is about to start."

Kazeko didn't said anything as she still had that strange feeling. Katsuro held his hands on her shoulders.

"Kazeko?"

"Oh! Um, yes. We should go before we miss it."

The couple followed the villagers in front of them, holding their hands.

...

The people sat on their legs just like ninjas do. They were forming a large circle, and inside that circle were the two servants, the elder, and a small table with the box that contained the sacred fruit.

"For centuries one of us has been chosen by the great King Dragon to eat the first bite of his fruit. And today we continue his tradition. Only one of you will be chosen. Only one will eat his powerful gift, and King Dragon shall grant a secret power of your choosing."

One of the servants opened the box and carefully picked out the fruit, placing it on a tray.

Katsuro and Kazeko looked at each other. Kazeko was getting jittery by that time that she had the urge to hold his hand.

"Katsuro, I'm feeling nervous." She whispered to him.

"Kazeko-chan, what's wrong?" Asked Han with concern.

"I don't know why but... the fruit... it makes me feel strange for some reason."

They both saw the fruit. Han looked back at the nervous girl.

"Kazeko-chan..."

"Hmm?"

"Whenever you feel like this, just breathe... deeply."

Kazeko smiled and nodded. Then she performed some breathing exercises she knew.

"Now is the time King Dragon will choose one of you through his gift."

The servants carried the tray with the Great Dragon fruit and followed the elder, who was in front of them. Everybody saw the fruit with their own expressions.

Kazeko continued with her breathing exercises meanwhile. She was able to control her nerves, and with every single inhaling and exhaling she felt better. The elder stopped to see her. He saw her breathing in and out. He saw something rare in Kazeko. Something that made her unique and different than the others. He never bothered her as she breathed deeply, and continued searching for the new chosen.

"Kazeko-chan, you never saw the fruit. It's part of the tradition to see it, all of us." Muttered Han.

Kazeko opened her eyes to Han, confused. "What?"

Once everyone else saw the fruit, it was time for the next chosen to be wisely selected.

"The next chosen by King Dragon..."

That called everyone's attention. The servants placed the tray back on the table and went to their positions. The elder eyed every single person, but Kazeko called his attention the most. So he walked close to her and placed a hand over her head.

"May this child join us."

Kazeko was impressed and nervous at the fact that she was chosen to eat the fruit. The fruit ninjas smiled at her. Everyone then applauded.

"Come, child." Said the elder with a calm voice. "You have been chosen by King Dragon."

"Me?"

Katsuro gave her a sweet glance. "Go, Kazeko."

Kazeko slowly stood up and followed the elder to the small table. She eyed the tray in front of her. Some of the Great Dragon fruit was perfectly sliced, and beside it was a cup of water.

One of the two servants used red paint and marked Kazeko's forehead with the Japanese words 竜姫 (_Ryū hime, meaning Dragon Princess._) with his fingers. Kazeko closed her eyes until the servant was done. The two servants bowed before her, and she bowed in return.

"Water for purity." Said the elder, offering her the cup.

Kazeko kindly accepted it, nodding. "_Hai_."

She picked the cup and drank some fresh, sweet and cold water. When she was done, she placed the empty cup back in the tray.

"May King Dragon be with you, dear child."

"Thank you."

Kazeko's nervousness picked up as she held out her hands to grab a slice of the mystical fruit. Her hands shivered.

Katsuro took notice of her nervousness by the wild way the wind blew around them. Some fallen leaves and petals whirled in a circle of breeze.

"Calm down, Kazeko. You got this." He muttered.

She finally grabbed a slice to eat. Before she did so, she turned to everyone who watched her eat the fruit.

Han motionally told her to breathe deeply. He also knew she was nervous, so he gave her one small smile. Kazeko nodded before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"I wish..."

She carefully thought about what power she wished for before slowly taking a bite of the fruit.

"Mmm... um...hmm..."

Even the flavor was mystical, yet mysterious and almost indescribable. Kazeko sometimes tasted some sweetness, then some sour flavors, and the texture of the fruit was somewhat tender, yet viscous when she chewed it.

"Guys, she's eating it!" Whispered Mari.

Kazeko had eaten the entire slice, and the elder waited for her last gulp.

The elder then said a prayer for the new chosen, holding a hand over her head. As he prayed, the villagers stood up. Kazeko couldn't hold on to her jitters, and a small piece of hair in her bangs slowly turned black from the scalp to the tip.

"Long live our _ryū hime_!"

The crowd repeated that after the elder and bowed before Kazeko. Kazeko bowed back happily. They all applauded to her, including the fruit ninjas.

Kazeko's eyes then turned to Katsuro, who smiled at her.

Everything was happy and perfect on that instant.

...

A shaded person stared at Kazeko, who was now leaving with the fruit ninjas for a walk. He had seen it all, and he knew she was the new chosen, the Dragon Princess, so he pursued her using his stealth skills.

Hours after the festival...

The fruit ninjas enjoyed their time walking around the neighborhood, talking about the new chosen. The streets were empty and silent. Kazeko was happy and very proud of herself for -unexpectedly- being chosen by King Dragon through the elder.

They stopped at the dojo and sat near a table to chat along with each other. Katsuro offered Kazeko a seat, and she accepted it. She thought he was such a gentleman.

"That was awesome! I never thought I was going to be chosen for such a great ceremony!" Kazeko said excitedly before chewing a red apple.

"Can you tell us how the fruit tasted like?" Asked a curious Nobu.

"Well, the flavor was kind of hard to describe. It was sweet, then it was sour, then it was sweet, and every time I chewed it was like, viscous."

"Wow, a lot of flavors in a mystical fruit."

"Kind of, kind of."

"Kazeko-chan..." Started Mari, sitting in front of her. "...did you knew that being chosen by King Dragon makes you a legend?"

Kazeko stopped eating and gave Mari a look of surprise.

"Hold it there. A legend?"

"Yeah, you've been chosen by King Dragon through his fruit, his one and only gift. That makes you a legend, a part of his very own history. Now your mission is to continue it."

"How?"

"Becoming a perfect kunoichi. Sensei once told us about King Dragon. At an early age he became a master ninja, and he taught his apprentices everything he knew, even in his early years of life. He was very wise and so powerful that nothing could stop him."

"That's very interesting. But... I'm not a master kunoichi yet, Mari."

Mari laughed. "We know it takes a lot of time to become a master ninja like Sensei. But as you train, teach others everything you've learned, just like King Dragon did."

"A chosen apprentice teaching apprentices?"

"That's right. You have some experience now as a fruit kunoichi, and maybe there are some who might be interested in knowing the sacred arts of the fruit ninja. You can help them get started by showing them what you know. And in the future they might teach unexperienced people just like you."

"So that's how I continue the story."

Everybody nodded.

"I believe he also chose you for your bravery and kindheartedness. I mean, you saved Katsuro's life, and ours."

"I know, and it's all thanks to my powers."

"Okay, so I think the festival is over, and the Dragon Princess needs a rest." Said Katsuro, placing his arm behind her neck.

Walking through the shadows was the same ninja who followed them.

Kazeko giggled. "Katsuro, I'm okay like this. In fact, I think I'm hungry."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's head back to the village and grab some late night goodies." Said Mari.

"I'm afraid that won't happen."

The ninjas gasped at that voice. They sensed trouble surrounding them.

Kazeko groaned a little, holding a hand to her stomach.

"Kazeko-chan, are you okay?"

"I'm good, but my stomach hurts a little."

In front of the ninjas appeared another ninja, but he wasn't like them, and he carried bombs in his hands. Thankfully they weren't ignited.

"Hello, fruit ninjas."

"Who's that?" Kazeko asked. Despite her sore she had her own strength to fight.

"Someone who certainly wasn't invited." Said Katsuro, unsheathing his sword.

"Oh, I apologize if I ruined your moment together. I just came to see who was the new chosen, and I'm vaguely surprised to see this pinky as the new Dragon Princess." He said, gesturing a hand towards Kazeko.

Kazeko got angry at that, and wanted to attack him, but Mari stopped her.

The foe laughed. "She's so cute."

"And you're such a freak! So grab your little bombs and get out of here!"

"Kazeko, stop. We got this."

All fruit ninjas defended Kazeko from the villain.

They knew that a new form of evil rised.


End file.
